Beginnings
by Anne Bensler
Summary: This story takes us back to Christmas, 1983. 17-year old Elliot Stabler finally has the blonde alone that has caught his eye and tonight will be their first time ... but will a real relationship follow? Heed the rating. Updating regularly again!
1. Chapter 1: First Time

"I've never done this before Elliot."

He looked at the slender blonde in his arms, trying to catch his breath after a long, intense kissing session. He had her pinned up against the wall of her bedroom. Her parents were away for the evening and they were alone at last. He and Kathy, the girl he'd had a crush on for weeks. They'd been stealing glances for a while and then he'd finally worked up the courage to talk to her. A few days later they'd shared their first kiss after gym class in the storage room and he'd been a love-sick puppy ever since.

They were seventeen so it was allowed. That was all he could think about. His hormones were like a raging fire and his jeans were already getting too tight. It was going to happen tonight. His first time. And hers. On Christmas Eve, 1983.

"Me neither baby," he told her softly. "Ya think we'll figure it out?"

Kathy giggled and he grinned at her. Her cheeks were flushed. She looked so sweet and innocent but when she kissed him again, he knew she wasn't a little girl anymore. She kissed with the passion of a real woman and he couldn't get enough of her.

They had snuck out of the campus Christmas party early and had already ditched their winter sweaters. His hands roamed her back and slipped underneath her top. She was wearing a tight green spaghetti top and he'd noticed immediately that she wasn't wearing a bra. She didn't need one. Her perky breasts were firm and bounced only a little when she walked. They were perfect and he was going to hold them in his hands tonight.

Her breath hitched when he slowly pulled her top up, but she didn't stop him. He looked down between them, eager to see her chest naked for the first time and Kathy bit her lip. Her arms were draped loosely around his waist, all her attention now focused on what he was doing.

"Hmmm," he hummed when the pale, fleshy mounds came into view. Her small, pink nipples were hard already.

Kathy raised her arms so he could take the top off of her completely and he did, never taking his eyes off her breasts.

"Touch me," Kathy whispered after he'd tossed the top away.

She didn't need to tell him twice. He lowered his head and kissed the tops of her breasts while cupping them with his hands.

"Please," Kathy panted, bracing herself against the wall.

She wanted him to touch her nipples. Slowly, he moved his thumbs until he was rubbing her nipples gently. Kathy moaned and she squirmed a little, and when he looked up at her face, he saw that her eyes were closed, her lips parted and she was running her hands through her hair. It was the sexiest thing he'd ever seen. She was offering him her body and he wanted it. He wanted her. His first girl. His first time. After tonight, he would no longer be a virgin.

…

"I want you."

She was whispering softly but he heard her. They were on their sides on her bed on top of the covers, both down to a single piece of underwear now, completely unbothered by the cold outside. It was painful how hard he was. It really was totally different with a real girl as opposed to a magazine or a porn video. She was touching him, caressing his chest and back and kissing his neck. He'd flinched when she'd given him his first love bite but he was a quick study and was returning the favor now. The little love bites were making his body sensitive all over and it was a new feeling. Her breasts were pressed up against him and she moved one leg between his. When she pushed it up a little so it was rubbing up against his crotch, he growled. He wondered if she would mind. He was starting to understand the word animalistic a little better but he didn't want to overpower Kathy or hurt her. But he did want her, so badly. Kathy rubbed her thigh against him again and he growled again. She hummed contently and he pulled back a little to look into her eyes.

"You still sure about this baby?" he asked her and she smiled at him.

"I am. Very sure. I want you to be my first."

She moved her hand down to his boxers for emphasis and Elliot hissed when she rubbed him through his underwear with her hand.

"So hard," she whispered almost reverently. "For me?"

"All for you baby," Elliot confirmed, his voice shaking a little with arousal.

"Take it off then," she said. "Let me see it."

He wasn't shy about his body. Not at all. He worked out and he knew he had a good size compared to a lot of boys he'd seen in the showers after a ball game. But to show himself to Kathy was something else. He did it though, pushing his boxers down and kicking them away and off the bed quickly.

Kathy swallowed and he wondered if this would be the moment she'd pull away. Maybe she thought he was too big …

"Wow," he heard her say, and his manhood jumped up at the compliment.

"I want you too, Kath. I guess that's pretty obvious."

His little joke helped them both relax a little and then Kathy got rid of her panties too. They were now completely naked in her bed.

"I bought condoms," Elliot offered but Kathy shook her head.

"No need. It's our first time so we're clean," she told him.

He wanted to object but then Kathy pushed him on his back and straddled him, and he forgot how to speak. She was soft and warm against him and when she started rubbing him with her body, his eyes rolled back in their sockets. This was it. This was the real deal.

…

It had been a little painful for Kathy at first and while they focused on getting things right technically without causing her too much pain, their arousal had subsided a little. That was actually a good thing, because Elliot had been ready to blow the moment she had slipped her body across his tip. She was still frowning a little but he was almost in all the way now and he wondered if she was uncomfortable.

"Kathy. You okay?" he asked her.

He was throbbing, more than ready to start moving but he needed her to be alright.

"Hmmm," Kathy hummed, her eyes closed, while wiggling her hips.

Even that small movement did things to his body and his hands flew up to her breasts automatically. Kathy arched into his touch, humming contently again and he focused on touching her and giving her pleasure. When she slowly lifted her body up and slid down his shaft again, they both groaned loudly together. He rubbed her nipples a little harder and Kathy repeated the motion, adjusting her knees until she found the right position to start riding him.

"Oh yes," Elliot croaked. "That feels so … good!"

"Yeah!" Kathy answered, looking down between them.

Elliot looked between them as well and it was amazing to see himself slide in and out of her. They were both so wet and the feeling was amazing. Her body was tight around him and yet it was easy to move. His hips started moving on their own accord and Kathy started moaning each time he thrust up. They were really doing this.

"Ah yes!" he groaned again, picking up the pace a little, and Kathy matched his pace effortlessly.

Her slender, well trained body was working on top of him and his hands roamed her breasts, her back, her ass and her long legs while she rode him.

He loved how she panted and her little cries of pleasure, that were becoming higher pitched gradually. He groaned beneath her, feeling an unstoppable urge to go even faster, but her weight on top of him was holding him down. And then he shot up, grabbed Kathy around the shoulders and flipped them over in one fluent movement. He felt like a porn star.

"Oh Elliot," Kathy sighed.

She opened her legs wide for him and it was all the permission he needed to enter her again. It was the best feeling to slide into her hot, wet body again. He felt at home inside her already, any traces of embarrassment evaporated. He pushed into her and he loved to be on top now. He went faster and faster and Kathy wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him in even deeper. He was getting dizzy as if all the blood had left his brain and had gone south to be inside Kathy.

They were panting and moaning and the bed was creaking underneath them. Kathy was meeting his thrusts eagerly and when her moans became louder and louder, he knew she had to be close to an orgasm. He wanted to give that to her, but he wasn't going to last much longer himself. It was the most amazing feeling to be inside a real, hot, wet, tight, moving girl and he was gonna …

"Oh Kath!" he cried out.

"Yes!" she yelled back.

"Baby, I'm …"

"Me too! Don't stop! This is .. aaaaah!"

He felt it then. She was tightening around him. He could barely move for a moment but he pushed through, the need for his own release too strong for him to stop now.

Kathy was moaning loudly and he felt her body convulsing around him. He kept going until surges of pleasure started tearing through him like electrical currents, almost paralyzing him for a moment. Kathy was still moving slowly underneath him and he moved with her, only to find out that it was prolonging his orgasm. He was bracing himself on his arms, his hands planted next to Kathy's head, and when his body finally stopped reeling, he lowered himself to kiss her gently on the lips. They were both covered in sweat but she had never looked more beautiful to him than she did right now, here eyes drooping, her face flushed and her long blonde hair fanned out on the pillow.

"You're amazing," he mumbled against her lips and he felt her smile against his.

"So are you."

They kissed and rolled on their sides slowly, and he slipped out of her in the process. He had just had sex for the first time and it was with the sweetest girl in class. He would remember this night for the rest of his life.

…

…

…

 **Uhm, yes he will … dun dun.**

…

…

…

 **So … do I leave this like this as a one-shot? Do I continue in the same timeline? Canon or AU? A happy Stabler couple or no? Do I add a certain brunette or do I make a time jump to 1999 (or later)? Ideas? I haven't decided yet and I'm in no hurry to continue this, so do consider it a one-shot until further notice. I have other stories to finish after all ...**


	2. Chapter 2: Storage Room

**I had about 5 ideas how to continue this story and I have finally chosen one. I hope you'll like it. We're staying in 1984. If I get the high school details wrong just remember I'm not an American (so what do I know about high school) and I'm kind of much older than the kids in this story.**

 **For those paying close attention, you will notice in the details that I'm going to deviate from the original story ... (dun dun)**

 **For the guests referring to my username here - don't worry. (wink)  
This is a short M rated chapter but there will be more to the story.**

2.

Now that the awkwardness was gone, Elliot couldn't get enough of his girlfriend. He had decided to start using condoms after all and was getting the hang of putting them on. So was Kathy and they felt like they were becoming a couple of sex pros fast. He'd been embarrassed to come too quickly a few times, but was discovering great ways to please Kathy after all. Before they started dating he never would have thought he'd enjoy licking a woman but now … he was addicted. He'd even let her sit on his face once, and it had been an experience in itself. And when she'd gotten her period, Kathy had done the most amazing things to him with her mouth. She wanted to do it all, she had told him and he wasn't complaining.

Kathy's parents came back the next day for Christmas and after the holidays, they were finding interesting locations to be alone together around school. Tonight, they'd snuck into the gym through the backdoor. Elliot thought it would be incredibly romantic to make love to Kathy in the exact spot they'd shared their first kiss. At the same time, they would be celebrating the three week anniversary of losing their virginity. Kathy's period had just ended and they really wanted to have sex again.

Kathy was giggling while Elliot dragged one of the landing mats to the right spot in the storage room. Once it was in place, they stood opposite each other on either side of the mat, just watching each other.

"Strip for me," Elliot said huskily, and Kathy grinned.

He watched in awe while she took her clothes off very slowly. He squeezed himself through his jeans and couldn't believe that he had sex on his mind all the time now. It was an addiction and aside from his school work it was all he could think about. It even made it easier to endure his father's abuse or his mother's incoherent rambling at home. Kathy was becoming his escape from everything that was wrong in his life. She was his little piece of heaven and right now, he was mesmerized by her. She had already taken off her shoes and socks, jeans and sweater, revealing a tight white top and white lace panties. She didn't wear bras and he loved it. Her nipples were poking through the fabric of her top and he stepped towards her then. Her slender fingers went for the buttons of his jeans immediately and she freed his raging hard-on from its confines. Elliot, already barefoot, kicked his pants and boxers off and pulled his pullover and t-shirt up and over his head in one go.

"You're so strong and muscular," Kathy said, rubbing his pecs with one hand while pumping his erection with the other.

"You're beautiful," he told her, kissing her neck softly.

"I want you to fuck me, Stabler," Kathy told him in his ear.

Her language shocked him a little. He hadn't expected those words from her but when she smiled at him, he was lost.

"I wanna make love to you baby," he told her.

"No," Kathy insisted. "Fuck me. Give it to me hard. I wanna know what that's like."

He wasn't sure what had come over his sweet and lovely girlfriend but he had to admit the idea appealed to him. He'd seen a few porn videos with friends and those guys were always pounding away hard and fast. He'd wondered if that didn't make the women feel like they were being used, but he was now finding out that some girls wanted it that way. Even his sweet Kathy.

Kathy wiggled out of her panties and he took off her top, leaving them both completely naked. Kathy dropped on her knees and licked his tip slowly. Elliot groaned. It was the sexiest thing he'd ever seen and Kathy's eyes were sparkling as she looked up at him.

"Are you ready baby?" she asked him softly, and all he could do was nod.

Kathy fished a condom out of the back pocket of his discarded jeans, tore the wrapper open with her teeth and put it on him. She really was getting good at that. Then, she turned around, still on her knees, and faced away from him. She looked over her shoulder and placed her hands on the mat, wiggling her ass at him.

"You wanna do it doggy style?" Elliot asked, unable to mask his surprise.

He had wanted to make love to her and whisper sweet things in her ear to celebrate their three week anniversary but here she was, on her knees, asking him to fuck her hard from behind. He wasn't going to lie, it was sexy as hell. Not at all what he'd had in mind but he wasn't going to refuse her. He wanted her badly and to have her on her knees for him like this … he didn't think he'd last long at all.

Elliot kneeled behind his girlfriend and caressed her round ass before reaching around her to fondle her breasts. He was definitely a breast man and touching and squeezing Kathy's pert, firm breasts like this was amazing. Then, he lined himself up with Kathy and found her entrance with his tip. Kathy jolted when he caressed her sensitive flesh with his tip and he groaned with excitement.

"Come on," Kathy spurred him on.

He could see that she was getting very wet and he ran his finger through her glistening folds. She was soaking. He put his tip against her body again and started pushing into her slowly, reveling in this new sensation.

"Deeper. Go deeper El," Kathy pleaded.

She had dropped her head down and was bracing herself on her arms and pushing back against him a little. He pushed in deeper and when Kathy growled contently, he was lost in her. It was incredible to have her like this, to see her body move with each of his thrusts and he got the hang of it very quickly. He was going deeper than ever before. He grabbed Kathy's hip with one hand and her breast with the other, and when she told him to go faster and harder, he couldn't hold back. He was fucking her and it felt amazing.

"Oh baby," he moaned, closing his eyes and letting the feeling of her tight body around him overwhelm him.

Kathy spread her knees a little wider and he sank into her even further.

"So good, so good," Kathy croaked, and it only made him go faster.

Her body tightened around him and he had to work hard to continue thrusting into her.

"Eeeeeel," Kathy shrieked and then she was letting out high-pitched cries and he knew she was having an orgasm. He had made her come first and it gave him such a boost that he exploded deep inside her within seconds. His body was jerking erratically and he was gasping for breath. He was still pumping and it felt better than ever before. When they both finally stilled, they collapsed on the mat, breathing heavily. Elliot was spooning his lover and pulled her back against his chest.

"That was …" he started.

"Yeah," Kathy sighed.

It was indescribable. Not what he had expected but he was not complaining. Not at all.

 **To be continued.**


	3. Chapter 3: Party

**I'm hoping this chapter will answer many of the questions I have received in your reviews so far.**

 **I am using names for all the kids that may sound familiar. Feel free to imagine the SVU characters with the same names here, or make them completely different people :) It's all a little OC anyway at this age, aside from the main character(s).** **Enjoy!**

...

3.

Everyone was there. The entire school was supporting the football team and Elliot and his friends had front row seats so he would be close to Kathy, who was a cheerleader. Elliot was a baseball player himself but he liked to watch the football games as well. And their school's team was this year's favorite so they were all there to cheer for their team.

"There they are!" he heard one of Kathy's friends say to her as all the players walked onto the field. "Isn't he the dreamiest?"

He grinned. Kim basically had a crush on all the football players and he tried to find out which one she was fawning over this time.

"Girl, I see what you mean," he heard his girlfriend say, and then both girls were waving at Edward, the quarterback, who walked up with Nicholas, the team captain.

Of course it was the quarterback. Nick and Ed waved back and winked at the girls, who giggled and kept whispering to each other. Elliot thought it was cute. Kathy could look at Ed but everyone knew that she was taken. Kathy turned around and gave him a sweet smile, and he felt his chest swell a little. They had been officially together for five weeks now and everyone knew they were a tight couple. He was sure they were all gossiping about whether or not they were sleeping together and he may have boasted about it to a few friends. He imagined that Kathy had told her best friends about it too and that was fine with him, as long as his father didn't get wind of it.

When the speaker announced that the game would begin shortly, everyone took their seats. Elliot passed drinks to his friends John and Brian and they settled in to watch the game.

…

It had been a thrilling match and their team had won in the end. So now it was time for a big party. It was Saturday night, the night after the game and the school auditorium had been transformed into a dance room. The party was already in full swing when Elliot and his friends arrived.

"Let's find the girls," John said.

John had recently started dating his crush and was really looking forward to dancing the night away with his girl. Elliot's face lit up when he spotted Kathy and her friends Kim and Vivian near the drinks table. He quickly walked over to the three blondes.

"Hey baby," he greeted Kathy, kissing her on the cheek.

"El, have a drink," she said, handing him a glass and then winking at him.

Elliot knew something was up and he smelled his drink before taking a sip. His hunch was confirmed: there was alcohol in the drink.

"Did you spike the drinks?" he asked Vivian, knowing this particular blonde would be the one responsible.

Vivian grinned and then revealed a flask in her purse.

"Spiking it one glass at a time, just for us. The teachers will never know."

Elliot raised an eyebrow and made a mental note not to accept any more drinks from Vivian tonight. He hoped Kathy wouldn't drink too much either because he had plans with her later.

They all had fun dancing and Elliot saw Brian trying to score with Kim. The kid didn't stand a chance because all the cheerleaders only had eyes for the football players. Well, all the cheerleaders except Kathy, of course.

When the victorious team arrived, announced by the DJ with their special song, everyone gathered around for a short speech from the coach and to cheer for the team. Kathy and Vivian were dragged off by Kim so they could stand in the front and Elliot stayed back with John and Brian. All the players were praised individually and everyone cheered loudly for Nick, the team Captain. But the crowd went wild when it was Ed's turn. Ed was a big guy, as tall as Elliot and well-trained. From a distance, he could see why girls would like him. But he'd heard that Ed didn't exactly have a lot of respect for girls. He had been the first boy in school to have rumors fly about having sex, with a prostitute no less, when he'd been only fifteen. A birthday present from his stepfather, was the gossip. And the rumors hadn't stopped there. The guy was 18 now and wasn't the brightest student but girls still seemed to like him. He had one girlfriend after another and they said he'd even had sex with a minor last semester. Nobody could prove it and the girl had denied everything but Kathy had heard different gossip from a friend's younger sister. He just hoped Kim would be careful if she did get an invite to the football player's dressing rooms. Because everyone knew that that's where it went down on evenings like this. It was like an unwritten code among the football players, and the girls who wanted to win their hearts went along with it.

The football players, all dressed in crisp white dress shirts, black slacks and black ties, mingled with the other students and the party continued. Elliot saw Kathy still chatting with Kim, who was trying to get Ed's attention, and he walked out with his friends for a smoke. John was excited, telling them that tonight might be the night for him and his girl and Elliot made sure his friend had a condom.

"You've got stacks of those, don't you?" Brian asked, and Elliot could tell that his friend was a little jealous.

He shrugged and smirked.

"Gotta keep the missus happy."

"Yeah well … you don't happen to know how I can score with Kim, do you? I mean, she's all goo goo eyes for those football players but baseball is cool too, right? The fact that we've been losing shouldn't matter."

"I agree man, but we can't force them to like us, right?"

They all dropped their cigarette buds and stepped on them before returning inside.

…

"Viv. Have you seen Kathy?"

Vivian looked up at Elliot with blurry eyes. She smiled when she suddenly recognized him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I dunno honey, but I'm here."

Elliot frowned and pushed Vivian away from him gently.

"You're drunk Viv. Go and drink some water or something."

Vivian just laughed and returned to the dancefloor. Elliot walked around for awhile, looking for his girlfriend. On a hunch, he walked out of the auditorium in the direction of the dressing rooms. Maybe Kim had needed some encouragement before going in there to try and hook up with Ed. There were a few couples making out in the hallway but he didn't see the girls so he walked on until he got to the first dressing room. He heard some whispering and moaning and stepped inside. The sounds were coming from one of the stalls in the bathroom area as well as the shower area and he was a little curious who he'd find there. There were at least two couples in there. There was a black tie slung over one of the taps and a white shirt dangling from the wall separating the dressing room from the shower area and he grinned. Football players, of course. He recognized the voice from the shower area as Kim's.

"Oh yes Ed," he heard the girl moan. Sounded like she'd gotten her wish.

The second couple was in a stall that wasn't completely closed. He saw the back of a boy with black hair wearing a white shirt as well as black pants, which were currently around the his ankles. The girl he was with had her bare legs wrapped around his waist and from the sighing and grunting it wasn't difficult to deduce what was going on in there. Elliot was about to turn around and leave to go look for his girlfriend elsewhere when he heard the girl in the stall moan and hum.

"Oh yeah. Just like that, Nick."

His heart almost stopped and before he could think about it, he yanked the door open completely. He felt like someone punched him in the gut when he looked into a pair of very startled blue eyes. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. It just wouldn't register until she said his name.

"Elliot."

He stepped back and reached blindly for a sink to keep himself from falling. This had to be his worst nightmare. This could not be happening. Not to him. Not to _them_! But it was her …

"Kathy …"

…

 **Dun dun!**

 **Poor sweet and trusting Elliot … :(**


	4. Chapter 4: Betrayed

4.

Elliot was seeing red. Nick had all but dropped Kathy, who was standing inside the stall on shaky legs, smoothing out her dress while Nick quickly reached down to grab his pants. Before the boy had a chance to pull his pants up, Elliot's fist connected with his face. Blood spurted from his nose and Kathy screamed. The two people in the showers came running around the wall half-dressed and were just in time to witness Elliot charging at Nick again and using his stomach and face as a punching bag. Elliot only vaguely registered the screaming of the others while he pummeled Nick until the boy stopped moving. Elliot stood over him, breathing heavily and still reeling with adrenaline. He looked at his girlfriend then, who had sank down to the floor next to the toilet and was sobbing.

"El," she said shakily when she saw him looking at her but he couldn't listen to her.

He had never felt so betrayed in his life.

"Is he dead?"

"Nick, buddy."

Kim and Ed, who were somewhat dressed again, rushed over to tend to Nick. Elliot turned around and walked out of the dressing room, down the hallway and straight to the emergency exit. Once he was outside, the adrenaline finally wore off and the full extent of what had just happened hit him. His legs gave out and he sank to the ground, his back hitting the outside wall of the school with a thud. He covered his face with his hands and cried.

…

"Come on Elliot, you gotta stop drinking. Your dad's gonna flip if you come home drunk."

They weren't 21 yet after all. Elliot looked at his friend and then looked at his beer again. They were at Brian's place and his parents were out.

"I don't care anymore. Nothing matters anymore," he mumbled.

He felt so empty. Completely drained. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe Kathy. He thought they had a good thing going and then she turned around and did _this_? He'd been nothing but good for her, looking out for her. Loving her. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would have laughed at anyone who would try to tell him Kathy would cheat on him. She would never. He'd been sure of it. And yet she had. He still remembered her moans and sighs. She'd been sighing another boy's name. She had let him fuck her. The captain of the football team and the cheerleader. How cliché. He couldn't help wondering if she'd just used him for sex in the end. Some of her requests had surprised him, like that time in the supply room, but he had chalked it up to the growing trust between them and Kathy's thirst to learn how to please him better. Had it all been a lie? He had felt so safe in her arms, so at home, and part of him longed to go back to yesterday. Back to when everything was still right in the world. He wanted to sleep on her naked chest and feel her hands drawing patterns on his bare back. His stomach clenched at the thought that that would never happen again and he couldn't deal with it.

By the time his friends convinced him to call home and tell his parents that he was crashing at Brian's, he was completely numb. When his father started yelling at him through the phone he just frowned and gave the receiver back to his friend, who hung up for him. He didn't care anymore what his father was saying, and he'd endure the beating he was sure to get the next day. It couldn't hurt more than he was hurting already. He felt like he was dying inside, and once he was dead on the inside, nothing would hurt him anymore.

…

Elliot had managed to drag himself through the rest of the weekend. His mother told him Kathy had called the house but he didn't want to talk to her. No apology would ever be able to erase what he'd seen and he wasn't going to add to his own pain by giving her another chance. He knew he would never trust her again and he needed to move on from her. She had been his first love. The girl he had given his virginity to. He thought it had meant something to her but he wondered now if she had ever felt something for him at all. He'd whispered words of love to her many times when they had been intimate together but he couldn't remember now if she had ever said those things back to him. She must have felt _something_ for him, but to turn around and do what she had done … her feelings hadn't been strong enough. Not as strong as his.

The only good thing that had happened was, that his father had actually understood that he'd been upset because Kathy had broken up with him. He'd looked at Elliot's bruised, bloodied hands almost proudly. Elliot hadn't given his father any details but the man hadn't punished him for staying away all night. He'd yelled at him again on Sunday night but he always did that when he was drunk. Elliot had simply gone up to his room where he could be alone with his thoughts and his parents hadn't bothered him again.

It was Monday now and he would have to face school again. He had no doubt that everyone knew by now what had happened. And sure enough, the principal was already waiting for him and called him into his office before he could even go to his first class.

"I've told your teacher you'll be in a little later," Principal Jones said. "Now sit down, Stabler."

Elliot complied and looked at the older man rounding his desk and sitting down with a sigh.

"Nicholas had to be taken to the hospital," he declared then.

"Good."

"There is nothing good about that, Stabler. You do realize you're in trouble, don't you? We don't solve disagreements with our fists around here."

"He should have kept his hands off my girl!" Elliot said. "What would you do if you saw another man banging your wife?"

The Principal folded his hands on his desk and stared at them for a moment.

"Probably the same thing you did," he admitted then. "How have you been holding up, son?"

Elliot shrugged. He didn't feel like talking about his feelings with the principal.

"I think we should schedule a talk with Ms. Malloy for you."

"I'm not gonna get my head shrunk. I'm fine," Elliot said.

"Ms. Malloy is not a psychiatrist, Elliot," the principal said kindly but he already knew that.

"Doesn't matter. I got my friends to talk to. I'm not gonna tell her anything anyway."

"How are things at home, Elliot?"

"Fine."

"Do you get along with your dad?"

Elliot jumped up and took a few steps away from the principal's desk.

"What's that got to do with anything?" he asked vehemently. He was getting impatient and wanted to get out of this office.

The older man just looked at him for a few moments and then picked up his pen.

"I'm making an appointment with Ms. Malloy for you anyway. You are to see her at least three times after school, and then we'll evaluate. It's an official assignment from me, and if you don't show up, I'm giving you an F for one of your classes."

Elliot huffed but took the note after the principal had written it out for him.

"Now get to your class and try to stay out of trouble."

"Yes sir."

Elliot quickly left the principal's office, relieved that the man seemed to understand why he'd beaten up Nick. He was bummed that he'd have to go talk to the school's social worker but at least they weren't calling his parents with a formal complaint. Or so he hoped. He snuck into History quietly and sat down in the back as always. His stomach clenched when he saw Kathy, hunched over her book, two rows ahead of him. Part of him longed for her and another part of him felt sick about what she'd done. He wished he could just stop loving her but apparently there wasn't an off switch for his feelings. John nodded at him and Elliot gave him an upward nod in return and then tried to focus on what their teacher was saying.

…

After class, Elliot tried to ignore Kathy and her friends. Kathy was clutching her books against her chest and tried to make eye contact with him, but he just walked passed her towards the lockers to grab his things for their next class. Kim suddenly popped up next to him at his locker.

"Elliot, I'm so sorry," she started but Elliot didn't feel like talking to Kathy's friend either.

She had been there so she had betrayed him as well.

"I didn't know she was going to go all the way with him, El. Honestly," Kim tried again. "I thought she was just tagging along for me. Nick tried to kiss her but I assumed she'd blow him off and … well ... I went to the showers with Ed so I didn't realize it until I heard them."

Elliot closed his locker and stared at Kim. He didn't know who she was anymore, or who Kathy was. Fucking football players they weren't involved with during a school party? He knew kids did that, but not his friends. Not his girlfriend. Ex-girlfriend.

"I hope you'll all be very happy together," he snapped at Kim. "You deserve each other."

Kim had a stunned look on her face but her eyes softened then.

"Alright. I guess we deserve that. I'm really sorry, Elliot."

"Tell Kathy to stop calling my house. We're through."

Kim nodded and lifted her hand to touch his arm, but changed her mind and took a step back before turning around and walking away, leaving him standing at his locker. Elliot let out a harsh breath and then slammed his fist into his locker, making a large dent in it.

"Fuck!"

"Hey. Are you okay?"

Elliot blinked and turned around slowly to see who was talking to him. He saw a young brunette with a very concerned look on her face staring at him. He didn't know her. In fact, he didn't think he had seen her in school before. She was wearing blue jeans, white sneakers and a simple white sweater and she had a black bag slung over her shoulder. All the other kids were hurrying to their next classes and then it was just the two of them.

"Yeah, I'm okay," he said quickly.

"You don't look okay."

Elliot shook his hand, that was a bit painful from hitting the locker. His knuckles were still bruised from beating up Nick on Saturday and hitting a wall afterwards, and he saw that they were bleeding a little again.

"Let me look at that," the brunette said, stepping closer to him and taking his right fist in her hands.

Elliot was too surprised to respond and let her examine his hand. She looked up at him.

"That's not the first thing you hit, is it?"

Elliot shrugged.

"It'll heal."

"Your hand will heal, yes," the girl said and somehow he knew what she was telling him. His hand would heal but the reason he'd hurt himself wouldn't go away so easily.

"I don't think I've seen you before," he said and the girl smiled.

"I just transferred in today. I'm Olivia."

"I'm Elliot."

"Nice to meet you, Elliot. What's your next class?"

"I'm supposed to be in Math right now."

"I'm late too. Gotta run! See you around?"

"Sure. See you around."

Elliot finally headed for his next class and smiled when he saw Olivia run down the hallway, almost skidding around the corner on her way to her class. He sighed and walked to his Math class, bracing himself before being confronted with Kathy once more.

…

 **A/N: Can all the EO fans come on board now already? Reviews are life, remember?**


	5. Chapter 5: New Girl

**There's a new girl in school.** **There will be a switch of POV (at last) in this chapter and we'll get to know the young brunette a little better. Enjoy!**

...

5.

Elliot was being flanked by John and Brian when they got in line for lunch. He really appreciated their concern but he wasn't going to make a scene if Kathy did try to approach him again, and he'd already heard that Nick wasn't in school today. He spotted Olivia in line in front of him, about four people down, and when she started walking away with her tray, he caught her eye. She smiled at him and then pulled her shoulders up, indicating that she had no idea where to sit. Elliot raised his index finger and mouthed 'one minute' at the new girl.

"Who's that?" Brian asked him.

"Name's Olivia. She transferred in today. She can sit with us, right?"

"Sure," both Brian and John hummed, nodding their approval. The new girl looked nice after all. A bit boyish, but nice.

"She should grow out her hair," Brian remarked.

"Yeah, start off by telling her that and leave a lasting impression," John huffed, earning him a punch in the arm from Brian.

Elliot glanced at Olivia again. Her hair looked fine to him. She had her dark locks cut in a bob that ended just below her jawline and since it curled a little, it bounced when she walked. She was dressed a little like a boy, in simple jeans and a sweater, but she was clearly a female. She definitely had more curves than Kathy or her blonde friends. Elliot grabbed his tray after choosing his dessert and walked over to Olivia.

"Hi again," she said quietly.

"Hey. I'm just waiting for my friends. You wanna sit with us?" Elliot asked her.

"That'd be great. I haven't made any friends yet."

Elliot smiled at her.

"Well, you got one now. And here come two more. Olivia, meet Brian and John. Guys, this is Olivia."

They all mumbled polite greetings and John led the way to their table.

"This is us," the skinny boy announced, plopping down in a chair.

"Does every group have their own table here?" Olivia asked, sitting down across from John.

Brian quickly took the chair next to Olivia, and Elliot was left with the seat next to John. He looked at Brian, one eyebrow raised, but Brian was already focused on the brunette next to him.

"Not officially," John told Olivia, "but we're all creatures of habit so …"

He gestured around him, indicating that everyone pretty much sat where they always sat. Then he took off his glasses to clean them before eating.

"Yeah. So consider this your table from now on," Brian said with a wide grin.

Olivia chuckled and glanced at Elliot before turning her attention to her food. John immediately volunteered to explain the various food groups to her and the dangers of the additives, and Elliot shook his head. John and his theories. He was going to get his ass kicked one of these days by boys who weren't as patient with him as he and Brian.

He tried very hard to ignore the three blondes who shuffled to their regular table to sit with the other cheerleaders, and ignored the tightness in his stomach. He forced himself to try and eat his lunch without looking at the cheerleader table again.

John kept the conversation at the table going easily and they found out that Olivia was sixteen and one grade below the boys. They wouldn't have any classes together but agreed to meet up for lunch from now on, at least until Olivia would find some friends in her own classes to hang out with. Elliot tried to focus on their conversation but was distracted by Kathy's proximity. The blonde looked at him from time to time and he knew she would want to talk to him at some point. He tried his best to ignore her despite the feelings he still had for her. He didn't want to talk to her and he wasn't going to try again with her after what she'd done. Or so he kept telling himself.

After finishing most of her meal, Olivia looked behind her at the cheerleader table and then back at Elliot. She cocked an eyebrow and looked at his bruised right hand. When her brown eyes met his blues, Elliot nodded slightly. It didn't surprise him that the new girl was so perceptive and he liked how he could have a conversation with her without using any words. Brian was talking to Olivia about baseball but she wasn't really paying attention. When John asked her which school she had transferred from and where she lived, Olivia told them that she was from Manhattan and that her mother had transferred her from Manhattan to this school in Brooklyn so she could keep an eye on her.

"Keep an eye on you how?" Brian asked, scooting away from her a little and glancing around.

"She teaches here," Olivia clarified. "Ms Benson? English? Ring a bell?"

The three boys exchanged a glance and nodded. They knew Ms Benson alright. That woman had issues. They'd all been sent to the principal's office for one thing or another in Benson's class.

"Wow. _That's_ your mom?" Brian asked after a few moments.

Olivia chuckled.

"Yeah. I didn't pick her you know. I'm stuck with her like the rest of you."

They all grinned and it was good to know that Olivia knew that her mom wasn't the nicest teacher they had.

"So why does she need to keep an eye on you?" John asked.

Olivia bit her lip and checked her watch. Just then, the bell rang and all the kids started standing up. The entire cafeteria was filled with the sound of chairs being moved and Olivia shrugged, grinning at the three boys standing with her.

"A story for another time."

...

Olivia Benson was relieved that she was making new friends on her first day at the new school. Not that she'd left many good friends behind in Manhattan. She had hoped that somehow, the transfer could be a fresh start for her. God knew she needed one, but she wasn't sure if she'd be able to function at all, now that her mother was even watching her in school. Fortunately, Serena had to be there earlier than her and left later, so they wouldn't be traveling together. She loved the solitude of public transport, however contradictory that sounded. Before, she had enjoyed being alone for a while after her mother had left for work and before she'd have to go to school herself. She'd walked then and for the past few weeks, she'd walked into staring, gossip and even some bullying, although the bullies usually regretted coming near her afterwards. But still, even if the other kids respected her because she could fight, she'd sat alone most days. She couldn't sit with Michael anymore because he'd been fired. Because of her.

She sighed and shook her head lightly before walking into her next class. She missed Michael. She missed him so much. She thought he was going to save her from her mother and her crappy life but it hadn't happened. She understood that he'd had no choice but to accept getting fired from his job as a teacher's assistant and leaving town. The alternative would have been much worse … But still, she missed him and it hurt.

Olivia walked into her next class and saw a girl waving at her and pointing to the seat next to her.

"This one's free, Olivia."

Olivia put on her best smile and walked over to the girl.

"Thanks. Elizabeth was it?"

The girl nodded.

"Yeah, but everyone calls me Beth. I know what it's like to be the new kid," she told Olivia. "I transferred in in the middle of the year too last year."

Their teacher stood up and told everyone to settle down.

"Make any friends?" Olivia whispered, and Beth leaned over to whisper in her ear,

"Won't take long. You'll see."

Olivia thought of the three boys she had lunch with and now Beth. Four new friends on her first day wasn't bad. It wasn't bad at all.

...

Olivia kicked off her shoes when she got home after her first day and was relieved to find their Manhattan apartment empty. She quickly grabbed a bottle of water and a few crackers and went to her room. She never knew what her mother would be like when she got home. She would probably want to know how things went in school but her mother wasn't one of those people who would bring tea and cookies and have a nice chat with her daughter. She was still livid with her for what she'd done, making her go through all that paperwork to have her transferred to Brooklyn. She was never going to hear the end of it. Olivia hadn't told her new friends yet, but she was grounded for a full month before she could even consider hanging out with them after school.

She took out her books and checked her homework. It wasn't much yet, since she'd have different classes the next day, but she went over her work of the day anyway. Luckily, her new school used the same books as the old one. After going over her notes once more and packing her bag for the next day, she grabbed a book and settled on her bed to read a little.

Reading was a great way to escape the less pleasant parts of her life and she loved getting lost in the mysteries of solving crimes in a world that seemed so much more exciting than her own. When she read a scene about a man going nuts because his girlfriend had broken up with him, she remembered the looks her new friend Elliot had sent in the direction of the cheerleader table over lunch. He was hurting, that was obvious. And he'd injured his hand because of one of those girls. She didn't know these Brooklyn cheerleaders yet, but she knew the type. Most of them would try to hook up with the best football players, whether they were nice guys or not. It was mostly about status and somehow she couldn't really see Elliot playing along with that game. She didn't know him yet but she sensed that he wouldn't just go with a girl to have some fun. He wouldn't be so sad now if he was just having meaningless flings with popular girls.

His friends were nice too. Brian seemed a little desperate at times and John was a little geeky, but both were nice boys, just like Elliot. Having real friends was important. It made all the difference in high school. They could support you and help you through the toughest times, but they could also turn on you and stab you in the back, as she had found out the hard way. She hoped that she would find a few trustworthy friends in the new school, just like Elliot had. Beth seemed nice and she had introduced her to a few other girls they shared classes with. Olivia couldn't remember all their names after just one day but she was beginning to think that maybe it was going to be alright.

She sat upright when she heard the front door slam. Serena was home. She quickly hid her book underneath her pillow and grabbed one of her school books, silently praying that her mother wouldn't come into her room this time. She closed her eyes when she heard her mother's booming voice call out to her.

"Olivia! Are you home? Show yourself!"

She took a deep breath and breathed it out slowly before answering her mother,

"Coming mom!"

…

 **To be continued.**

 **A/N: as for Olivia's looks: think of her hair back when she was on Falcon Crest but no dresses or sexy tops (yet). I've posted a picture on Twitter by way of illustration.**


	6. Chapter 6: Mother

6.

Nick was back in school and Elliot was pacing in the restroom area.

"You can't lose your shit now El," Brian told him. "Just ignore the guy."

"Deep breaths, Stabler," John said encouragingly. "He's not worth it."

"Neither is Kathy as it turns out," Elliot replied harshly.

He had barely slept a wink again and it was exhausting to have all these conflicting thoughts and feelings running through his system. He was too young for this crap anyway. High school was supposed to be a fun time of partying and hanging out with friends; not of walking around wanting to beat people up because your heart was broken.

The bell for the third period rang and they knew they'd be in trouble if they were late in Benson's class. Elliot took a few deep breaths, grabbed his books and then walked out with his friends. It wouldn't be easy to be in the same class as both Nick and Kathy but he had no choice. On top of that, Ms. Malloy was expecting him after school today.

A few girls were standing around Nick, fussing over his injuries, and when the three friends entered the classroom, everyone fell silent. Elliot was glaring at Nick, who stood up a little straighter. Elliot could see the boy wince a bit - aside from a broken nose he probably had a few cracked ribs - but he stood tall nonetheless. The girls standing around Nick all stepped back a little and their staring match went on for almost a full minute.

"Alright! Seats everyone!"

The booming voice of Ms. Benson broke the tension and everyone except the two boys shuffled to their seats.

"You too!" Ms. Benson hollered at Elliot. "You've caused enough damage already Stabler. Sit down or I'm writing you up. Right. Now!"

A few others mumbled among themselves, and it was clear that the class wasn't unanimous on who exactly had caused damage, and who was to blame. Elliot knew the majority would side with the team captain but it was good to know it wasn't just him and his two friends against the rest.

Kathy had been sitting at her desk by the window the whole time. She and Kim sat together in silence, clearly trying to avoid looking at either Elliot or Nick. So Kathy hadn't even gotten a new boyfriend out of what she'd done? Elliot still didn't get it. Ed came strutting into the classroom seconds before Ms. Benson closed the door, as usual. He winked at Kim before walking to the back of the room to his desk. Kim blushed and then looked away. At least one of the girls was happy with what had happened at the party. Elliot took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, then tried to focus on their teacher. He didn't want to annoy her and get written up on top of everything.

…

After English, Elliot made a beeline for the door with his friends in tow. He didn't want to be confronted with Nick again or see girls fawning over the guy. Their next class was PE so it was safe to assume Nick wouldn't be there. Maybe he could blow off some steam playing sports. Unfortunately, their PE teacher was also the coach of the football team and it was obvious that he wasn't too thrilled that the team captain was out of commission for a while. He made the entire class work hard and Elliot felt a weird sense of satisfaction seeing Kathy completely exhausted by the end of class as well. She deserved it for what she'd done. He tried not to think about her sweating body for too long but when she gave him a sad look, he had to look away quickly. He could still imagine her vividly, her firm breasts and long, slender legs, wrapped around him while he …

"El! Come on, let's hit the showers."

Brian punched his arm and he knew he should be grateful to his friend for disturbing his little daydream. He had to get over Kathy and once they stepped into the shower, the image of Nick fucking his girlfriend overrode all his other memories of Kathy. She had betrayed him and she wasn't worth pining over. He felt better after the hot shower and the three friends headed for the cafeteria to grab some lunch. Elliot spotted Olivia in the distance, apparently just walking away from her mother. She seemed pissed. She smiled faintly when she saw the three friends walk up to her to get in line for lunch but they could tell that something was up with the young brunette.

"I'm not supposed to talk to you," Olivia mumbled while passing Elliot to get in line behind John.

Elliot looked at Ms. Benson, who was still watching her daughter, and when he made eye contact with the teacher, she glared at him.

"Wow, what a bitch," Brian said behind him and Elliot nodded.

He turned to look at Olivia, but another girl had joined her and she was visibly trying not to look at him or his friends while chatting with the other girl quietly. Her mom was a bitch indeed and he felt for the girl. His father would get on his case a lot but at least he was free in school to be himself. But Olivia had nowhere to run. Her mom was watching her every move and he felt the urge to block the woman's view of her daughter with his body. He changed his mind when Ms. Benson strode through the cafeteria and glared at him once more in passing. Olivia ignored her mother completely and her friend patted her on the shoulder once the teacher had passed.

Olivia winced and the friend frowned. Olivia shrugged and grabbed a plate.

"Hey Olivia, who's your friend?" Brian asked her once Olivia's mother had finally left.

"I'm Beth," the dark-haired girl told him. "Pleased to meet you."

Brian introduced the other boys to Beth but when he invited them to sit with them, Olivia said she'd better not.

"Because of your mom?" Elliot asked, and Olivia nodded.

"She says you're bad news."

"And I bet Nick's Prince Charming, right?" John remarked dryly.

"Hardly. I am to stay away from all boys if mom gets her way. Especially the ones playing sports."

"I'm on the chess team. Does that count as a sport?" John said with a grin, and that actually made Olivia smile.

"I think chess would be alright, John."

They all got their food and Olivia glanced at Elliot once more before turning away from the boys with Beth to sit at another table.

...

A few minutes later, Serena passed through the cafeteria again and Olivia was relieved that she had decided to sit with Beth and Pamela, another girl from her class. She hated how her mom was hovering. She got that she was scared that Olivia might get hurt, because she'd been hurt so badly herself, but she could take care of herself. Elliot and his friends weren't bad guys, no matter what her mom said. Sure, he'd beaten someone up but she didn't doubt for a second that it had been with good reason. It had been 'over a girl', her mother had told her mockingly, as if that was the stupidest reason in the world to get into a fight. Olivia thought that maybe it wasn't smart but it wasn't hard to understand either. It sure explained Elliot's sad looks in the direction of the cheerleader table.

Olivia rubbed her shoulder absentmindedly and Beth asked her if she had an injury of some kind.

"Yeah. I hit my shoulder against the side of my bed when I was looking for something underneath it," Olivia said quickly.

Telling lies like that had become second nature to her and she knew that even an observant girl like Beth would accept the explanation without question.

"Hiding stuff from your mom under your bed, right?" Beth said with a grin.

"Absolutely," Olivia grinned back. "The less she knows, the better it is."

"Amen to that!" Pamela said.

The three girls giggled and Olivia relaxed. It was going to be alright. It was just a nasty bruise this time, and it wasn't hard to cover up. And it was only the first time in the new school, so she didn't think anyone would get suspicious for now.

Michael had been the only one she'd told. It had been impossible to hide her bruises from him once they started having sex. She had sworn him to secrecy though, and since he was sleeping with a minor, he wasn't going to risk anything. She couldn't wait for her seventeenth birthday, when she'd finally be legal. She was still hoping Michael would find his way back to her, even if he hadn't stayed in touch. He had been her first and she missed him terribly. She had wanted to elope with him on her birthday but things had gone very differently. One day, her mother had come home unexpectedly and had caught them together in her room. They had just been kissing on the bed at the time but Serena had drawn her own conclusions and had gone ballistic. Olivia had been surprised that she hadn't hit Michael. Instead, after kicking Michael out, she'd slapped Olivia across the face and had gone on a drinking binge afterwards.

She thought her mother was a big hypocrite. She had yelled at her last night for even going near a violent boy like Stabler but she was the violent one herself, taking out her own frustrations on her daughter like she did so regularly. She had shoved her hard and Olivia had lost her balance and hit her shoulder against the kitchen counter. Good thing Olivia was very quick, or things might have escalated. She knew that she was going to hit back one of these days, not because she wanted to but because it was inevitable. She could only take so much and she was getting physically stronger every day. She was about as tall as Serena now and she wondered if her mother even realized that.

Just a couple of months and she'd be seventeen. Things were going to change then. She was sure of it.

…

 **A/N: A bit short but I hope you liked it. To be continued.**


	7. Chapter 7: Father

**August 30, 2019. Dear readers, thank you so much for your patience! It's been over nine months since I uploaded chapter 6, but I am finally going back to this story and I intend to keep it at the top of my writing list now!**  
 **I went back and changed a few minor details in the first few chapters of this story (just a rather silly error I took out and a few tiny details I changed) so we're ready to continue now. If you've forgotten where we left off, feel free to start from scratch! The chapters haven't been long so far, first 6 chapters are only 10,795 total so … easy right? ;)**

...

7.

It wasn't that Ms. Malloy wasn't nice but Elliot just didn't want to talk. At all. He was glad he'd gotten through all his classes of the day without any incidents and he just wanted to go home. But he'd had no choice and there was no way around Ms. Malloy's questions. How was he doing? How had he felt right after beating Nick up? And later on? Had he talked to Kathy yet?

He tried to keep his answers short, but when the social worker brought up his feelings for Kathy, he clammed up completely. It was none of her business how he felt about his ex.

"You know, it's not uncommon or wrong to still have feelings for someone who has hurt you, Elliot," Ms. Malloy said.

He avoided looking at the brunette woman, who was in her late thirties he figured. Instead, he stared out of the window behind her.

"These things take time and you can't rush them."

Elliot shrugged.

"I'll get over it."

"It's alright to admit that you're hurting," the woman tried again. "We just need to find a way for you to deal with that, that won't get you into trouble again."

"I'm not gonna beat him up again, alright," Elliot huffed. "I don't see the point in talking about this with you."

"Do you talk to anyone else about it? Like a friend, maybe?" Ms. Malloy asked him patiently.

"Yeah. No. Well … they know what's up and they support me."

"Who is they, Elliot?"

"Brian and John. My best friends."

When the social worker made a note on her notepad, Elliot quickly told her,

"You're not dragging them into this, are you? They've got nothing to do with it. They're just my pals and they support me."

Ms. Malloy assured him that she had only written down that he had two good friends and that nobody would talk to his friends without his permission. They talked some more, about school in general, and then made a new appointment. Elliot didn't really see the point of these talks but at least he wouldn't be disciplined any further if he went a few times. And he'd do anything to keep his father out of it.

When he walked out of the school at last, he saw his friends waiting for him at the fence, as he had expected. And Olivia was with them.

"Hey El," the guys greeted him, and Elliot leaned against the fence, looking at Olivia.

"You waited for me too?" he asked her.

Olivia shrugged.

"Just didn't feel like going home to the dragon lady."

The three boys chuckled and then they all headed out together. They all had homework to do and it was only Wednesday, so they parted ways at Olivia's bus stop.

"Maybe we can hang out after school on Friday," Brian offered, turning back around to face Olivia.

"That'd be great," Olivia said with a smile.

"I thought you weren't supposed to talk to us," Elliot said and Olivia smirked.

"As if I'm going to listen to her."

"Alright then. Stay strong," John said, raising his fist in support of their new friend, and Olivia laughed out loud.

John definitely was the least threatening one of the group and she couldn't help wondering how he even became part of the trio. Brian and Elliot were big and keeping in shape but John was an almost geeky, skinny boy. Extremely nice, but quite different from the other two.

Her bus pulled up and when the doors opened, Olivia hopped on the bus and flashed her metro card at the driver. Once she was inside, she waved at the three boys through the window before finding a seat in the back, a small smile still playing on her lips. Another boy smiled back at her and Olivia's face fell. She turned to her right to stare out of the window, hoping the boy would read her body language and know she didn't want to chat. When she heard a click, she looked next to her from the corner of her eye and saw that the boy had pressed the play button on his walkman. She relaxed and hoped she wouldn't come home to another shitstorm today.

Things had been tense at the Benson home. Not that that was unusual, but it had been worse these past few weeks. First the whole drama with Michael and Olivia having to change schools, and now her mother kept going on about 'that Stabler kid' as she kept calling him. She was to steer clear of him because he was violent and couldn't be trusted. Serena didn't want to have to call the cops on _another_ boy, she had stressed just this morning, continuously playing the guilt card and letting Olivia feel how much of a burden she was being on her mother.

Olivia was accepting the verbal abuse for now, resisting the urge to defend Elliot. She really liked him and the fact that he'd beaten someone up over a girl didn't make him a violent creep like her mother wanted her to believe. When she looked into his blue eyes, she could see a depth in them that was unusual for a boy his age. She chuckled inwardly. She wasn't exactly your standard sixteen-year old either. She didn't have a carefree life that revolved around hair, clothes, makeup and boys. Her life had always been different, and something told her that Elliot knew what that was like. He wasn't carefree either and she felt a connection to the boy. He was like her in a way. And somehow she knew he would stand up for her, not hurt her, if anyone ever got too close for comfort.

Olivia got off the bus at her stop and walked the last part home. Her mother had a teachers meeting after school so she'd be alone for a while, which was a relief. Now to think of a way to make sure her mother wouldn't miss her after school on Friday, so she could hang out with the guys.

...

"You're late."

Elliot's father was sitting at the dinner table, his hands folded in front of him on the table and he'd clearly been waiting for his son.

"I had stuff to do," Elliot replied neutrally, glancing at his mother, who was clearing the table nervously.

"Dinner was ready forty-five minutes ago. You can do 'stuff' on your own time. We already ate and you're not getting any leftovers. I hope that'll teach you," Joe Stabler barked at his son.

His brothers and sisters were nowhere to be seen, no doubt already expecting their father to blow up as soon as Elliot got home.

"I'll go up to my room then," Elliot said quietly, hoping his father wasn't gunning for a debate because those never ended well for him.

"You apologize to your mother first!" Joe yelled, standing up and blocking Elliot's way so he couldn't get to the stairs.

Elliot turned around and walked into the kitchen, where his mother was standing at the counter, wide-eyed and trembling.

"I'm sorry I'm late mamma," he started, but his mother shook her head.

"It's alright baby. There's plenty of food left."

"Dad won't let me have it. It's fine mom. Don't get yourself in trouble over me."

"Bernie, you're not giving him any food!" Joe's loud voice boomed behind him as his father came into the kitchen.

"She wasn't gonna," Elliot said quickly, turning around to face his father and to shield his mother from him in the process.

"Did he apologize?" Joe asked his wife, who nodded quickly.

"Yes. Yes. He did."

"Now tell me where you've been, doing 'stuff' as you put it," Joe demanded of his son.

"I was just hanging with a few friends and lost track of time. It's Friday dad. We were just tryna unwind after the week."

"What friends?"

"You know. John and Bri. We went to the bowling alley and the arcade for a while."

Elliot didn't mention Olivia, who had admitted after an hour that she was 'kinda grounded' as she had put it. She wouldn't tell them what she'd been punished for though, and he thought it best not to tell anyone else that she had been with them against her mother's instructions.

"Squandering your allowance again, were you? When will you start behaving responsibly, Elliot? When I was your age I was in school and working two jobs to save up for the academy, and what have you got to show for yourself, huh?"

Joe pushed him against the shoulder and Elliot could smell the alcohol on his father's breath. The man wasn't drunk yet, but he had a head start.

"I've got my own plans," he told his father but that wasn't good enough for Joseph Stabler.

"What plans! You dreaming of designing fancy buildings again, sissy boy?"

Elliot focused on his breathing, trying not to lose his temper. It wasn't worth it. His father would never be proud of him, no matter what he did. He couldn't wait to get out of there and never come back.

"Well? Just so you know, I'm not paying shit for that kind of school. You better man up and choose a real profession. Work with your hands and make an honest living."

"Yes sir."

Joe seemed a little stunned at Elliot's humble response and it took him a few seconds to recover. Then he said loudly,

"You got that right! Now get out of here. Go to your room and stay there!"

"Yes sir," Elliot said again before quickly slipping past his father and out of the kitchen.

At least he hadn't hit him this time. And soon, he'd never hit him again. Because he did have a plan. Right after high school, he was going to leave home and never look back.

...

 **To be continued.**


	8. Chapter 8: Shift

8.

Kathy had sent him a note.

She wasn't calling the house anymore and had stopped trying to approach him in school, but there was no way around her now. One of his sisters came to his bedroom to deliver the note to him personally, so Kathy would be sure he'd gotten it. When he looked outside, he could just see Kathy turning the corner of his street on her bicycle. Elliot sat down hard on his bed and turned the small blue envelope over in his hands a few times before finally opening it. What could Kathy have written to him? The incident with Nick had been two weeks ago and Elliot was trying to move on, but apparently, Kathy wasn't giving up just yet. He looked at her neat handwriting, sighed, and then read the words.

 _Dear Elliot,_

 _I don't blame you for not talking to me anymore but I just want you to know how sorry I am. I never ever meant to cheat on you. I hope you can believe that. It just happened that night and I don't know how to explain it.  
I had a great time with you and this was not how I wanted us to end. I really want us to be friends again. I am not seeing anyone right now. I think I need to be single for a while to think about everything and to decide what I want. But if you want to hang out again, I would really like that. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me. I never set out to become a cheater and I hate myself for what I did to you. I miss being with you Elliot. I miss waking up next to you after a nap and feeling your arms around me. If you miss me too, maybe we can get together soon to talk._

 _Please forgive me._

 _Kathy_

He read the note at least six times, and every time he got stuck on the same words, _this was not how I wanted us to end._ Meaning, she had wanted them to end differently. Meaning, she was never going to stay with him.

She really hadn't loved him. She was just having some fun; learning to have sex with a safe, dependable boy. With him. And now she had nothing, because it was obvious by now that Nick was never going near her again; so now she wanted him back? For what? To have sex with again until some other sports jock came along?

Elliot did miss her, more than he cared to admit, but he still had his pride. He wasn't going to be Kathy's play thing, no matter how much he missed her body. It had never been just sex for him. He loved her and had been thinking of a future with her by his side. She had destroyed that dream and he knew he couldn't get it back. The image of her with Nick in that bathroom was imprinted on his brain forever. He could never look at Kathy the same way again.

He tossed the note in the drawer of his nightstand and lay down on top of the covers of his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He'd talk to her, once. Just to make her understand that they were over for good, because he knew he would never be able to fully trust her again. They could have had it all. He thought he might have wanted to have children with Kathy one day. But not now. That was a timeline that had been cut off forever. He had no idea what the future would hold for him now. He'd talk to her but that was it.

…

Elliot could tell that Kathy was nervous when she walked up to him on Wednesday afternoon after school. They were meeting in front of the school, on neutral territory that didn't remind Elliot of their time together. He'd been leaning casually against the stone pillar at the entrance of the schoolyard, trying for a disinterested look. Kim and Vivian were staying behind at the other end of the school yard and Elliot had sent John and Brian off earlier, so it was just the two of them now, for the first time since that night.

"Hey," Kathy said quietly, stopping a few feet away from him.

Elliot pushed himself off of the pillar and nodded at her, stuffing his hands in his jeans pockets.

"Hey."

"Thanks for meeting me."

"You wanted to talk, so talk," Elliot told her gruffly. He wasn't in the mood for pleasantries. It was hard enough for him to stand this close to Kathy. He didn't know what to feel.

"Elliot," Kathy sighed, reaching for his arm but then reconsidering and clasping her hands in front of her chest nervously instead. "I … I really want us to be normal again. I hate this … this tension hanging between us all the time."

"You should have thought of that before fucking another guy," Elliot fired back, and Kathy blinked, seemingly a little shocked at his language.

"But … that's just it," she stammered after a few moments. "I wasn't thinking. At all."

"Sure you were. With your pussy."

"Elliot!"

"Well, that's what girls always say about guys, right? That we think with our dicks?" Elliot spat. "Well, you were thinking with your pussy that night! You could have gotten it from me, but you had to have _him_. So what does that make me? A practice run?"

Guilt flashed across Kathy's face and he knew then that he'd been right. She had just used him so she would know how to please a guy once she found one she _did_ want to be with.

"Don't give me that shocked look, Kath," Elliot barked. He was on a roll now. "You've been using me all along, knowing that I was really in love with you. You're sorry now because Nick doesn't want you. That's the only reason you're talking to me!"

"That's not true …" Kathy started, but Elliot didn't let her finish.

"Yes, it is and you know it. All this crap about 'needing to be single for a while'," he said mockingly, making air quotes as he spoke. "You're here to get me in the sack again aren't you, Miss Insatiable. Well, guess what? I don't want you either. Not anymore. So just go and be single or find some other guy to do you, and don't bother me again!"

Tears welled up in Kathy's eyes but Elliot was done with her. He had no idea where his little speech had come from but it felt good to blurt it all out without a filter. He had to stop pining after Kathy and get on with his life. He would never really trust her again so there was no point in wanting her anymore. And so he was determined to end things here and now, once and for all.

"Do you … really mean that, Elliot?" Kathy asked with a trembling voice.

Elliot's reply was short but firm.

"Yes."

It took Kathy another moment to let reality sink in and then she turned on her heels, huffing "Well fine. Have it your way," before marching off across the schoolyard to where Kim and Vivian were waiting for her.

...

Elliot was breathing hard but it had felt good to yell at Kathy and let some of his pain and disappointment out instead of bottling it all up inside. He watched the blonde walk away to the far left of the school yard and then saw someone approaching him from the right. He turned to look who it was and saw that it was Olivia Benson, who was headed straight for him. He felt something shift inside him in that moment. He was really done with Kathy and he felt proud of himself for telling her off, and he was happy to see Olivia. The brunette walked up to him with genuine concern in her eyes and he felt himself relax when she stopped in front of him. She glanced at Kathy's retreating form and then asked him,

"Are you okay?"

Elliot took a deep breath and blew it out before responding,

"Yeah. I'm fine."

Olivia chuckled.

"Sounds like something _I'd_ say," she said with a smile. "What did she want?"

She gestured at the three blondes who were now huddled together at the far end of the schoolyard, where Kathy was no doubt giving a colorful account of their little talk. Elliot shrugged.

"Doesn't matter. I'm not her play thing anymore."

"Play thing? Sounds interesting," Olivia joked, and Elliot finally smiled as well.

"Well, I'm not," he repeated, then tilted his head. "You wanna go get a drink somewhere?"

"Sure!" Olivia said, looping her arm through his.

They walked away from the school together, arm in arm. Elliot suspected that Olivia was aware that the three blondes were watching them and he liked her style. Olivia wasn't a girly girl but she was obviously very attractive. And right now she was using her femininity to make a statement and help him to put some more distance between him and his ex. There were other fish in the sea for him and Kathy needed to understand that she'd blown her chance for good. Elliot was grateful and he squeezed Olivia's arm as they strode across the street to a nearby diner.

Olivia just smiled softly and suppressed the urge to look behind them to see if the blondes were still watching. She knew they were. She hated that Kathy had hurt such a nice boy like Elliot and she wanted to help him somehow. Maybe they could help each other to get over their broken hearts.

Every day that she didn't hear from Michael made it clearer to her that he probably wasn't coming back. If he was waiting for her to turn seventeen, he would have let her know somehow but she hadn't heard from him at all. It was time to let that dream go, but it was hard because he had been her ticket out of harm's way, away from her mother. Without Michael, there would be no way out until she was at least eighteen and had a job that paid enough to get her own place. And that was going to take a while.

When they scooted into a booth at the diner, Olivia focused on Elliot again. He looked alright for a guy who had just sent his ex packing, almost relieved. John had told her the whole story about a week ago so she knew he had still cared for this girl Kathy even after she'd cheated on him. She could only imagine how hurt he must have been.

Elliot grinned at her and she liked how his eyes lit up just a little when he asked what she wanted to drink. She asked for a coke and Elliot placed their order when the waiter popped up at their table. Their drinks arrived quickly and they both relaxed, glad to be away from home. Olivia's mother had her bi-weekly teachers meeting after work so she wasn't going to know that she hadn't gone straight home. Olivia was counting the days until she would no longer be grounded. She had another ten days to go.

"Weren't you supposed to go straight home after school?" Elliot suddenly asked her, and she wondered if he could somehow read her mind.

"Yeah, but it's Wednesday. Teacher's meeting every other week, remember? So I have some time. That's why I was still around."

Well, that and the fact that John had told her about Elliot meeting Kathy today.

Elliot nodded, swirling his drink in his glass before asking her cautiously,

"Are you ever gonna tell us what you're grounded for?"

…

 **Will she tell him? This could be a first bonding moment, right? Your reviews are always appreciated!**


	9. Chapter 9: Friends

**A short chapter this time but I really wanted to update this story again today. Do let me know what you think!**

9.

" _Are you ever gonna tell us what you're grounded for?"_

Elliot and his friends had been curious. Not that they had any doubt Ms. Benson would impose a harsh punishment on her daughter for something small, but they still wondered what Olivia had done to be grounded for a full month, and if it had to do with the reason she'd transferred schools. Olivia struck them as somewhat of a rebel so they figured she had disobeyed her mother, but they wondered what exactly she had done against her mother's wishes.

He could tell that the question made Olivia a little uncomfortable, but before he could tell her she didn't have to tell him, she blurted out,

"She caught me with a guy."

Elliot's eyebrows shot up and several scenarios started playing out in his head. Caught with a guy, as in meeting a guy against her mother's wishes? Or actually doing stuff with the guy? She smiled at his obvious surprise and the questions that were probably written all over his face.

"An older guy," she added and now Elliot really didn't know what to think.

"You were … dating an older guy?" he asked cautiously.

Olivia's head bobbed and she stared in her drink.

"Yeah. She chased him off and then she grounded me and made me change schools. Stupid bitch."

Elliot tried to process this new information quickly, before Olivia might change the subject. He asked her,

"If this guy was older, he didn't have to do what she told him to, right?"

Olivia scoffed.

"Yeah, he did. I'm sixteen, remember? She could have had him arrested."

Elliot's mouth formed an "o" while a different, legal term popped in his head.

"Exactly. Statutory rape," Olivia said, confirming his suspicion immediately. She had been sleeping with the older guy. "He lost his job and I lost him."

Elliot felt the urge to reach out and grab Olivia's hand, to try and comfort her somehow. She was being very strong and barely showed any emotion, but he knew it had to hurt. No matter the circumstances, it hurt like hell to lose someone you loved. He knew that better than anyone now.

He kept his fingers wrapped tightly around his drink but offered her a genuine "I'm sorry."

"Thanks."

Olivia smiled at him, then added, "You're sweet."

Elliot shrugged, leaning back in his seat.

"Us broken hearts gotta stick together."

Her smile widened and it pleased Elliot that he could make her smile like that. He grinned too and raised his glass by way of a toast.

"To the broken hearts club," Olivia joked, raising her glass as well.

"To the broken hearts club."

...

"And older dude? Really?"

Brian couldn't hide his admiration for Olivia very well and Elliot punched him in the shoulder.

"Looks like the two of you have something in common," John remarked.

The three friends were at Brian's house, their usual hangout since Brian's parents were away a lot due to work and always had a decent supply of beer in the basement. Elliot had just told his friends the basics of what Olivia had told him earlier.

"I guess," Elliot said, picking at the label of his beer bottle.

"So how much older are we talking?"

Brian wanted more details of course but Elliot didn't tell them anything else. If they really wanted to know, they'd have to ask Olivia. She'd told him after a while that her boyfriend, Michael, had been 25 and that he'd been a teacher's assistant at her old school. The guy was lucky that Ms. Benson hadn't reported him. She doesn't like the police very much, Olivia had told him and he wondered what that was all about. But he hadn't wanted to pry too much. He was just glad Olivia trusted him enough to talk to him about things like this.

When they both went home after an hour, he realized that he'd totally forgotten about his talk with Kathy while he'd been chatting with Olivia, and that he felt better about the whole breakup now. Olivia had been a very welcome distraction and he had to remember to thank her soon for showing up at the exact right time.

"So Kathy's gonna back off now?" John asked him, and Elliot nodded.

"I think so. I don't want her back and she knows that now."

"Looks like you're finally getting over her," Brian said, clapping his friend on the back. "Good for you, man. There's plenty more fish in the sea."

"Right. They all just swim past you, right Bri?" John joked, resulting in a direct hit of the cap of Brian's beer bottle against John's forehead.

John dashed off to check if the cap had left a mark on his skin and the other boys just shook their heads. Then Brian remarked,

"You think Olivia needs a shoulder to cry on? I could be that shoulder."

Elliot frowned and tapped his beer bottle on the table a few times. He didn't like the idea of Olivia with Brian, but why not? Brian was a little rough around the edges sometimes but he was a good guy. He'd never cheat on her. Still, he had kind of enjoyed talking to Olivia himself, and he felt somehow that she'd also be a good listener. She wasn't as shallow as most girls her age and that was an attractive quality.

"What?" Brian asked, tilting his head and looking at his friend attentively. "Or do _you_ wanna have a go at her?"

"Huh, no," Elliot said immediately, but he felt like he'd just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "No. We're just friends, that's all."

"If you say so, man. If you say so."

…

"He saw you, Olivia! Don't you try to deny it! Do I need to ground you for _another_ month?"

Olivia stood rigidly in the middle of the living room. She knew better than to move, because her mother was in one of her moods again. She just let the verbal abuse go on until her mother collapsed on the couch with her precious bottle of booze in her arms.

"Of all the kids in school, you have to break curfew to hang out with the _one_ boy I told you to stay away from!" Serena continued to rant, but Olivia knew it was safe to move now, since her mother probably couldn't get up anymore now even if she tried.

"Don't you walk away from me, young lady!" Serena screeched.

Olivia had to bite her tongue, she was that close to blurting something out that her mother wouldn't appreciate. She just stopped and looked down at her mother.

"Elliot is a nice guy," she said quietly, but her mother wouldn't hear of it.

"He's violent and evil! You stay away from him or you'll end up like me!"

Olivia scoffed. It happened before she could stop it but it was too late. Serena had heard it.

"You're laughing at me? You're _laughing_ at me?!"

The drunken woman was bordering on hysterical now but the more agitated she got, the calmer her daughter became. Olivia was beginning to see just how pathetic her mother was. She should have gotten help years ago, right after she was raped. She could still get help, but she'd have to admit she had a problem first. And that wasn't going to happen any time soon.

"Just you wait until you cross him, Olivia. You'll see. He'll hurt you. They'll _all_ hurt you!"

Serena made a wide gesture with her arm as she spoke and almost dropped the bottle she was holding. She quickly clutched it against her chest, panting as if she'd just saved someone from drowning. Olivia leaned over her mother as the woman tried to screw the cap off of her bottle again to continue drinking. She spoke calmly when she told Serena,

"I will never be like you."

Hot rage flashed in Serena's eyes and before Olivia could blink, her mother swung and hit the side of her head with the bottle, hard. Olivia fell on the floor, grabbing her head and gasping for air. She felt a sharp pain, but a quick survey told her there was no glass around her. The bottle hadn't broken. She quickly scrambled away from the couch, but her mother wasn't trying to come after her. She just opened the bottle and continued drinking as if she hadn't just hit her own daughter over the head with it. Olivia bit back her tears until she could drag herself upstairs and into the bathroom. She quickly leaned over the bathtub and let cold water from the shower run down the side of her head to cool the bruise before she'd get a massive swelling that she wouldn't be able to cover up. She cried then, sobbing softly because she could only take so much.

"She could have killed me," she whispered.

Her mother was escalating and it scared her. She sobbed again but nobody heard the young girl in the shower while she cried softly.

"Mama."

...


	10. Chapter 10: Excuses

10.

Her head was killing her but she was quiet, downing a few Tylenol and stuffing a few more in her backpack before leaving to go to school. Her mother had spent the night passed out on the couch, and didn't seem to have any recollection of the night before at all. Olivia had heard Serena call in sick before she'd retreated into her bedroom, where she'd probably crashed on her bed instantly with a severe hangover. Olivia had just thrown all the empty bottles she'd found next to and on the couch in the trash. Despite her headache, she couldn't wait to go to school, because she would have a day off from her mother there for once. The lump on the side of her head, just behind her ear, was big but she thought her bouncy hair covered it well enough so nobody would notice. She was just glad her skin hadn't cracked so there was no risk of infection. She'd hate to have to go to the ER or the school nurse and answer questions there about her 'accident'.

It wasn't easy to stay focused on her classes due to her throbbing head, and she asked Beth after their third period if she could possibly copy her notes later on.

"Sure," Beth said right away. "Had a bad night?"

Beth was very perceptive and Olivia quickly confirmed that she hadn't slept well, hoping the girl aspiring to be a psychologist would drop the subject. No such luck.

"How come?"

Olivia shrugged dismissively.

"Don't know. Haven't you ever had a bad night?"

"I have, but there's usually a reason."

"Don't start shrinking my head, Beth!" Olivia warned her with a grin, but she was only half-joking.

"That's what psychiatrists do, Olivia. I want to be a psychologist," Beth corrected her, but Olivia wasn't really interested in learning what the difference between those two professions was. She just wanted the girl not to notice the lump on her head and to get her notes.

"Let's just get some lunch, alright?"

Beth looked at her one more time, her eyes squinting slightly, but Olivia simply walked away in the direction of the school cafeteria. They spotted Pamela who joined them in the line, and after a minute, someone bumped into Olivia from behind.

"Hey!" she said, spinning around to tell off whoever had run into her, but stopping in her tracks when she saw Brian's grinning face.

"Hey to you too," he said cheerfully and Olivia couldn't help but smile at her friend.

Elliot and John were right behind him and Elliot winked at her. Her smile widened and Pamela rolled her eyes dramatically.

"She's been here a few weeks and she's already got packs of boys following her around. What am I doing wrong?!" the girl asked, and both Olivia and Beth laughed.

It felt great just to be able to be herself in school and Olivia hadn't realized how much she had missed that. Part of her hoped that her mother would be fired one day for calling in sick one time too often. She usually didn't drink too much during the week but she made exceptions when she was particularly stressed out, like last night.

Olivia saw the teacher walk through the cafeteria who had ratted her out to her mother, and quickly turned away. Was he the bitch's snitch now?

Elliot followed Olivia's gaze - or rather, tried to see what had made her turn around so quickly - but he didn't understand. Her mother wasn't in school today and he didn't see anyone stand out among the students milling about in the cafeteria. He did see Kathy and her friends approaching to get in line and he felt a small knot forming in his stomach. But it loosened instantly when Olivia turned to face them again and caught his eye, having spotted the blonde cheerleaders as well. Even from a distance, she was able to help him relax with just a look and it made him smile. Olivia almost seemed a little shy when she faced forward again and Elliot took a deep breath. Was their newly formed broken hearts club already helping both of them heal?

Olivia decided to sit with the girls to be on the safe side, because she wasn't sure what Mr. Wilson would see and tell her mother, but they agreed they'd all get together after school.

"She's found nice friends," John remarked, looking at the three girls.

"Yeah," Elliot agreed, glancing sideways to see them.

Brian was less subtle and turned around completely in his seat to look at the girls. Pamela giggled and nudged Olivia, who looked behind her to see Brian grinning at her once again. She bit her lip and then stuck out her tongue before quickly turning around again.

"You're being too obvious, Bri," Elliot muttered.

"I got her attention, didn't I?" Brian said proudly right before taking a big bite of his club sandwich.

"You're going after Olivia?"

John couldn't hide his surprise very well.

"El and me are free, John so we can do whatever we want. You're taken, remember?"

"Yeah."

John grinned proudly, thinking of his girlfriend Gwen. Their first time had been on the same night Kathy had cheated on Elliot. He had gotten little attention for his conquest so far because of his friend's troubles, but he was enjoying not being single anymore.

"It's always the quiet ones," Elliot grinned, clapping his friend on the back.

"Right. Why does the resident geek have a girl and we both don't?" Brian asked, eyeing their skinny friend to see what exactly was so attractive about him anyway.

"High school geeks are the millionaires of the future," John declared. "Some women just realize this sooner than others."

"So she's with you for your money?" Brian asked incredulously.

"No no," John said, wagging his finger before tapping his temple. "For the brains, Bri. The brains."

"Oh."

Elliot chuckled at the look of defeat on Brian's face. He was a good kid but not the sharpest tool in the shed. Still, he and John were inseparable ever since Brian had jumped in and beaten up two boys who were bullying John and had stepped on the skinny kid's glasses. Nobody dared to bully John again now, and John had become a reliable study partner for Brian, helping him get his grades up. Brian had a good heart and Elliot hoped some lucky girl was going to realize that soon. He deserved it. He just wasn't sure he'd like to see him end up with Olivia …

…

Olivia had managed to get through all of her classes but she wasn't feeling well at all by the end of the day. She splashed some water in her face in the bathroom but she looked pale and tired, with dark rings beginning to appear under her eyes. The combination of lack of sleep with a throbbing pain in her head all day long wasn't exactly good for her looks. When she emerged from the bathroom, she found Elliot waiting for her. He did a double take when he spotted her and she knew she needed another excuse for how bad she looked.

"Hey. What are you doing here?" she asked him casually, putting a little bounce in her step on purpose when she approached him.

"Beth told me you were in there."

"And?"

Olivia didn't think that was much of an explanation for why he had apparently been waiting for her to come out.

Elliot looked at his feet before glancing up at her again with a shy grin.

"Well eh … she kinda asked me to see how you were doing. She's a little worried about you," he admitted.

"And she couldn't just tell me that herself?"

Olivia was a little annoyed at her friend. Sending Elliot to check up on her?

"She said she tried to talk to you but you didn't say much."

"Because there's nothing to say!"

Olivia emphasized her words with a wide arm gesture, but frowned when her headache flared up again, reminding her that she shouldn't make sudden movements.

Elliot quickly stepped closer to her and put a hand on her shoulder. He knew pain when he saw it.

"Hey. You're _not_ okay. You wanna sit down?" he asked her softly.

Olivia hesitated and then looked around. Elliot took that to mean that she would want to sit down if there was something around to sit on. He quickly shrugged off his backpack and put it flat on the ground. Olivia chuckled but when he insisted, she sat down on the backpack, and he sat down next to her on the floor in the school hallway.

"I _am_ a little dizzy," she admitted then. Maybe I just didn't eat enough."

"How come?"

Olivia shrugged.

"Not really hungry I guess."

Elliot reached up and then stopped to ask her,

"Can I just … is it alright if I check your temperature? I mean, on your forehead?"

He was stammering a bit but he didn't want her to get the wrong idea.

"I'm not sick," Olivia muttered, but she sat still anyway when he put his palm against her forehead.

When Elliot retracted his hand, she immediately said,

"See. No fever. I just need some food and rest, that's all."

"I can arrange the food, but the rest is up to you," Elliot told her. "Or do you need to go straight home?"

Olivia hesitated. Her mother had had a whole day to sleep off her hangover so she'd be up and waiting for her by now. She didn't really want to go home but she had little choice.

"I should go straight home," she said quietly.

Elliot got up and held out his hand, offering to help her up. She grabbed it and let him pull her to her feet and he watched her face for any sign of discomfort.

"I'm fine, El," she assured him.

Elliot couldn't suppress a half smile while he picked up his backpack because she'd used the shorter version of his name. He liked it, and when Olivia returned the smile, he grinned.

"If you say so ..., Liv," he said, testing the waters a little.

Olivia's smile widened.

"Walk me to the bus, _El_?" she asked him, her eyes beginning to sparkle.

Elliot held out his arm so she could loop hers through it.

"Sure thing, _Liv_."

They both chuckled and while Elliot hadn't gotten anything more out of Olivia than Beth had, he was still kind of pleased with their little exchange.

…

 **A/N: Ah, the nicknames!  
To be continued ...**


	11. Chapter 11: The Mall

**There is an imaginary mall with a bowling alley coming up. I'm creating my own world here :)**

...

11.

The next week, Olivia told her friends that her punishment would finally be lifted once this Friday was over, and they made plans to get together at the mall on Saturday afternoon. She was looking forward to finally being free again and could only hope nothing would come up at the last moment to ruin things for her. The lump on her head wasn't completely gone yet and she'd had headaches all week, but she hadn't said a thing about it to her mother. She would endure it, as long as she wasn't grounded even longer.

They had been chatting in the hallway at the lockers but as soon as Olivia spotted Mr. Wilson, she signaled with her hand that she had to go, and took off to get to her next class. Elliot was looking forward to Olivia not being grounded anymore and he followed her with his eyes until she turned the corner.

"We should get going too," Brian said and Elliot nodded.

English class. It hadn't been his favorite class before, but it sure wasn't now, now that he knew their teacher was Olivia's mother. He knew he couldn't afford to make a mistake in Ms. Benson's class and worked quietly after listening carefully to the woman's explanation of the assignment they would have to hand in at the end of class.

He wondered why the teacher was so determined to keep her daughter away from boys. He hadn't realized the woman even had a child before Olivia came to school and wondered why Ms. Benson wasn't married. She must have at least liked _one_ man, or how else could she have gotten a kid? Maybe the guy cheated on her and she'd been done with men after that … His eyes drifted to Kathy, who was tapping her pen against her lower lip while she mulled over their assignment, her eyes fixed on the paper in front of her. He had been cheated on as well but that didn't mean he was done with girls now. He smiled and focused on his paper again to hide his smile from the teacher. If she caught him thinking about her daughter, all hell would break loose. But Olivia had popped up in his head. She was a nice girl and somehow he knew that she would never do what Kathy had done. Granted, he'd never thought Kathy would do such a thing either, but still. Or maybe he just didn't want to think any girl could do something like that. Maybe he was just too trusting. And maybe he was just beginning to like Olivia a lot.

Elliot glanced at Brian, who was seated next to him. Brian definitely liked Olivia a lot, and he wasn't hiding that at all. He wondered if Olivia would be interested in Brian. Only one way to find out …

…

"Hey Olivia."

"Hey guys. Am I glad to see you!"

Olivia was feeling a little giddy. She was finally not grounded anymore and it was her first day hanging out at the mall in Brooklyn. She'd been quiet as a mouse all evening last night and her mother had actually been tolerable. Before Olivia had left the house earlier, Serena had given her another warning not to get into trouble with any boys but she had been almost sociable and had told her to have a nice time with the girls and buy something for herself.

The girls were Beth, Pamela and Melinda, another girl Olivia had been introduced to recently. They were joined by Elliot, Brian, John and Gwen. John introduced his girlfriend to Olivia, and she could tell how proud he was of her. Elliot winked at Olivia and she felt her cheeks flush slightly. She punched his shoulder, making Elliot chuckle and assume a defensive fighting position. Brian instantly cut in to 'stand up' for Olivia, and the whole group was laughing within a minute. Olivia felt happy and light, and as they started roaming the mall, she thought that maybe changing schools hadn't been so bad after all. Otherwise, she wouldn't have met all these great kids. Brian sidled up next to her and began telling her about all the places in the mall where they could buy food. Their first stop was a small fast food place where they bought a soda and some popcorn to share. The girls were planning to go shopping for makeup and Brian rolled his eyes.

"You should join them Bri," Olivia heard Elliot say. "If you want any kind of chance with the ladies, you gotta show some interest."

Pamela and Melinda giggled, Gwen snorted and Beth and Olivia just looked at each other and then grinned.

"Right. And get my nails done? No way!" Brian joked.

"You have an eye on a particular lady?" Gwen asked Brian, who instantly looked at Olivia.

Olivia smiled and looked away. Brian wasn't exactly being subtle and she was flattered. When she glanced at Elliot, who was standing to the side, she saw that he was studying her face for a reaction. She smirked at him and Elliot made a questioning gesture with his hands, as if asking her if she was interested in Brian at all. She scrunched up her nose and then they both laughed out loud.

Brian hadn't even caught half of their wordless conversation but Elliot knew enough and the relief he was feeling was rather telling. After they were done snacking, the group split up and the girls went shopping while the boys just hung around in the central hallway, doing some people watching and discussing girls.

They regrouped a while later and decided on what to do next. John suggested a game of bowling and they all agreed. John was surprisingly good at the game and Gwen was proudly cheering him on.

"It's all physics," John declared but when Brian scored a strike just then he added, "or just brute force of course. That works too."

John and Gwen had teamed up with Elliot and Olivia, while Brian was the captain of the otherwise all female group. Pamela seemed particularly happy to be in Brian's team and Olivia nudged Elliot while they were waiting on the bench for Gwen to finish her turn.

Elliot looked at Olivia and she pointed at Pamela and Brian, sitting together on the bench of the other lane and paying no attention to Beth's bowling accomplishments at all. Pamela had her hand on Brian's arm and he didn't seem to mind.

Elliot grinned and made a classical stretching movement, after which he dropped his arm behind Olivia on the backrest of the bench. She rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling at Elliot's move. When Brian noticed that she was looking at him, his face lit up and Olivia wondered if that was why Elliot was suddenly posturing a little; because Brian was showing an interest in her. And she asked herself if she would really mind if it was. She did like Elliot, a lot. Brian was nice too, with a heart of gold, but something made her feel connected to Elliot in a way. She felt an odd warmth spread through her body when Elliot put his left hand on her left shoulder and pulled her a little closer to him. Then he told her,

"You're up, Liv."

She jumped up quickly and heard Elliot chuckle behind her when she went in search of her favorite bowling ball. The blue one. Why was she suddenly so nervous?

Elliot watched her move and tried not to smile too widely. It had felt nice to touch Olivia and her reaction told him that she was affected too. She missed all the pins on the first try and blew out a frustrated breath, then pulled herself together and managed to knock over six pins with her second ball. And all the while, Elliot was watching her with an amused smile on his face. She was cute. She was definitely cute.

It was his turn to jump up when Olivia pushed against his shoulder.

"Your turn," she said, "See if you can do better."

He grinned at her while standing up until they were toe to toe.

"We're on the same team, Liv," he reminded her and somehow they both knew that it was true in more ways than one.

...

 **To be continued.**  
 **I know this was very short but I'm struggling a bit with writing this story so I decided to give you a short chapter now instead of making you all wait even longer.**  
 **More to come. Their Saturday isn't over yet.**


	12. Chapter 12: It's a date

12.

The day had gone by quickly and they all regretted having to go home. But Olivia had promised her mother she'd be home around dinner time and she didn't want to ruin things now that her punishment had finally been lifted. The group walked her to the bus stop and they all chatted for a while until her bus would arrive. John and Gwen were hanging back and smooching a little and Olivia was happy for them. When she caught Brian staring at her again, she quickly turned around to talk to Elliot.

"I'm glad you're not grounded anymore," Elliot told her. "You think your mom will let you go out in the evenings now?"

"Not on school nights, that's for sure."

Her mother was usually relatively sober during the week because she had to work, but Olivia thought she might be able to sneak out on weekends when her mother went out to drink or was passed out on the couch.

"How 'bout next weekend?" Elliot asked, and she kind of liked how eager he seemed to spend more time with her.

"Sure. I'll just tell mom I'm meeting Beth again."

Beth cleared her throat behind her and Olivia turned around.

"Where are we going next weekend?" Beth asked innocently, making her friends chuckle.

"I was just wondering if we could hang out again next Friday or Saturday night," Elliot clarified, but Beth had a feeling he hadn't planned to ask the whole group along again and so she told Olivia,

"If you need an alibi, I'm your girl. And Pam too, right Pam?"

"And me," Melinda chimed in. "We're all allowed to go out on weekends and if we all say you're coming with us, you can do whatever you want."

Olivia didn't quite know what to say. She was so grateful that the girls were so accepting and she was starting to believe that her life had finally taken a turn for the better. When she looked at Elliot again, she felt a flutter in her stomach. He was so cute and so nice. She knew that nothing bad could happen to her in the city as long as she was with him, no matter what her mother said.

"So it's a date?" Elliot asked, and she saw his blue eyes sparkle.

Olivia giggled when Beth punched her arm. Was Elliot actually asking her out on a real date?

"When?" she asked him, just to be sure.

"Friday night? How about a movie? Just you and me."

"Awesome."

"Is that a yes?"

Olivia nodded and extended her hand.

"It's a date."

Elliot grabbed her hand and shook it, and when her bus pulled up and Olivia had to leave, she waved at him happily. Both teenagers felt light and bubbly all the way home.

…

The next school week seemed to drag on forever. On top of that, Joe Stabler was in a particularly bad mood. There was something happening at work and although he didn't want to talk about it with his kids, Elliot could hear him yelling at his mother at night. He wondered if he should go downstairs once to break the couple up but when his two sisters came into his room to wait out the storm with him in his bed, he had stayed put. On Wednesday night, Joe didn't come home and their mother was very sad. Elliot didn't know what to make of it but his mother seemed to be disappearing in her own little world again, where nothing made sense to anyone except her.

The girls took over the laundry while Elliot took over the kitchen. They had three older brothers, who had already left home while the 20-year old twin girls commuted to college. They wondered if they should send word to their brothers that something was going on with their father. But then on Friday morning, Joe suddenly came stumbling back into the house, smelling of alcohol and cigarettes and with a 2 day beard. The three kids were getting ready for school, but Elliot decided to confront the man and asked him where he'd been.

"None of your business," Joe growled, trying to step around his son to make his way to the stairs.

"Mom's been worried sick," Elliot insisted but that just made Joe laugh.

"That fruitcake doesn't even know what day it is, let alone how long it's been since she's seen me."

"She's been crying, dad," Elliot tried again, still blocking his father's path.

"She always cries," Joe said, and there was a disgust in his voice that angered the youngest Stabler.

"That's your wife you're talking about!" he snapped at his father.

"So?" Joe said, making an attempt to stand up straight so he could look his son in the eyes. "I am your father and you will show some respect."

Elliot scoffed before he could stop himself, suspecting that his father had been with another woman again. That and his drinking made it very hard for him to muster up any respect for the man these days. Joe lunged at his son in anger and Elliot stepped back. Joe lost his balance and in a reflex, Elliot grabbed his arm to keep him from falling over.

"Get your hands off me!" Joe snapped, swinging at him again.

Joe's fist connected with Elliot's jaw but it didn't hurt much. The man was barely able to stand, let alone put in a good punch. Elliot stepped back and let the man pass while his sisters made a beeline for the door. They suddenly couldn't wait to get to school. Elliot hesitated but while his father had a violent streak, he'd never seen him use physical force against his mother or sisters. That was only reserved for him; the baby of the family. Well, he wasn't so baby anymore and his father would find that out as soon as he'd turn 18.

…

Elliot got to school just in time for his first class. He tried to put his parents out of his mind and he felt a lot better once he spotted Olivia in the hallway. She just waved at him, on her way to her next class like him, but he hoped to see her during lunch. He wanted to know if their date for tonight was still on.

It sucked that they couldn't sit together but Olivia was really paranoid about her mother. It made him worry about her being able to get out of the house. But Olivia had told him she'd brought Beth over earlier in the week to meet her mom officially. Ms. Benson already knew Beth from school of course, but it couldn't hurt to actually present her as her friend. And she'd been fine with their plans at the time of catching a movie with the girls, so he hoped nothing was going to get in the way now.

Olivia sat with the girls at lunch but smiled at him a few times from afar. When it was time to head back to class, he passed their table and she told him quickly that she'd meet him in at the theatre at seven like they had planned. He was still grinning by the time he got to his next class and it didn't even bother him that Kathy almost bumped into him on her way into the room.

"Hey," she said quietly and he nodded at her before turning away to find his seat next to John.

He looked at Kathy again and he knew that it didn't hurt so much anymore to see her. He was a lot more occupied with his upcoming date with Olivia, and that could only mean one thing. He really was getting over the blonde, and now a lively brunette was the one who was on his mind the most. It was a good feeling and it was reassuring that there did, in fact, seem to be a life after a broken heart.

After school, Olivia hurried home and started dinner early for herself and her mother. She was anxious to get out of the house before her mother might change her mind. She usually started drinking early on Friday, even before dinner. To unwind she'd say, but Olivia knew what would happen over the course of the evening. She would become loud first. This was actually the most positive stage of her drinking. Later on she'd hit a negative spiral, lamenting her life and blaming everyone except herself, and sometimes she'd even become emotional. Olivia had given up trying to console her long ago; it seemed to have an adverse effect on the woman and would only make her focus on her. And that was never a good thing. So Olivia tried to use the first stage to get out of the house, to stay out of the way for the later stages and spare herself the verbal abuse that was sure to follow. Sometimes her mother would even get physically violent. She'd throw things, at the walls, the TV or at her, or she'd push her out of the way for some reason - or even for no reason. It had been only last Sunday that Olivia had been on the wrong end of a hardcover book flying through the room, hitting her collarbone, hard. She still had the bruise to show for that particular episode.  
Once Serena was too drunk to lift anything or make any more noise, Olivia would finally relax. But she wasn't going to wait for that final stage. She'd never make it to the movie theatre by seven if she did.

And so when her mother got home, the apartment was already filled with the aroma of pasta sauce.

"Well well," Serena commented. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I'm going out with the girls to catch an early movie, remember?" Olivia said, trying to sound as chipper and casual as possible.

"Oh right. With that Beth girl?"

"Yep. Her and a few others. You know Pamela and Melinda?"

The lie came easily. It was the only weapon she had to get away from her mother to see Elliot. She had to keep her eyes on the food though, because she knew her mother had a way of reading on her face whether she was telling the truth or not. She stirred the spaghetti one more time and turned down the gas under the sauce.

"Why don't you freshen up and I'll set the table," Olivia offered, turning to grab the plates from the cupboard.

When she didn't get a response from her mother, she looked over her shoulder, and saw Serena take off her coat. She shouldn't lay it on too thick now and didn't say anything else while she set the table and then carefully drained the pasta before carrying the hot pan to the table. Her mother was quiet as well, and they both ate in silence. Serena was having some red wine with dinner and Olivia knew that she wouldn't switch to the stronger stuff until after dinner. It looked like she was going to make her escape without any problems this time but she couldn't quite relax until she was out of the house and hopping on the bus back to Brooklyn. She was actually going on a date with Elliot! Who would have thought?

...

 **To be continued.**


	13. Chapter 13: Bruises

**Imaginary movie theater with imaginary scheduling next. I did choose movies that are actually from 1983/1984 though. Enjoy!**

13.

He was nervous. It was already ten past seven and Olivia still wasn't there. He was beginning to worry that things had gone wrong at the Bensons after all when he suddenly saw a familiar mop of brown hair coming his way in a hurry. She was here! He felt so relieved that he wanted to hug her, but he wasn't sure how that gesture would be received, so he settled for a wide grin. Olivia replied with a similar goofy grin on her face and they walked into the theater together to pick out a movie. They had discussed a few options over the course of the week but they were going to decide at the last minute.

"This one starts in an hour," Elliot said, pointing at the poster of "Christine".

Olivia shivered.

"I _hate_ horror movies, El."

They walked along the wall of posters to see what else they could see. When Elliot had suggested a movie, it had just been an excuse to spend time with her and he wondered if she wouldn't find it odd that he hadn't made a choice yet. But she seemed content just walking with him and checking out their options. She looked nice, in her blue jeans and white a V neck tee shirt underneath her black leather jacket. They stopped in front of the poster for the brand new movie Police Academy.

"They don't look like your average recruits to me," Elliot said, looking at the odd bunch, including a lady with long bare legs that definitely wasn't in a standard police uniform.

"It's a comedy. I think that's the point," Olivia told him, reading the brief description on the poster. "Could be fun."

"It's fine with me. It plays in room 1 and it starts in thirty minutes. Wanna get some snacks while we wait?"

"Sure."

After Elliot had bought their tickets, they each got a box of popcorn and a bottle of cola, and Elliot bought some extra chocolate for them to share. Olivia insisted on paying for her own snacks, telling him her mother had given her a twenty dollar bill to spend.

"Wow. Ms. B. actually gave you cash?"

"Yeah," Olivia chuckled. "I was as surprised as you are. But she thinks it's a girls night out, so I guess she doesn't want to look cheap or something. She's got an image to uphold in school, right? Well, who cares anyway? I got money to spend tonight!"

Elliot laughed along with her. He was glad Olivia's mom seemed to be lightening up a bit. He hoped the woman would come to see over time that he really wasn't a bad guy, and that her daughter was safe with him. But for now, they had a whole group of friends protecting her. The girls were out too and they had all told their parents they were going to see a movie, and that Olivia would be with them. It was iron-clad and he was going to make sure Olivia had the best time tonight.

Once people were starting to go into room one, they found their seats as well and settled in for the commercials.

Olivia was glad to be out of the house, and she was glad to be here with Elliot. Sneaking around on her mother made her feel like she had a little bit of power over her own life and it felt good. She glanced at Elliot, who seemed to be focused on the commercials, but when she looked at the screen again, she saw him glance at her. She smiled. He really seemed to like her and it made her a little nervous, but in a good way. It made her feel a little giddy.

When the movie started, they settled in and soon, they were laughing together at the goofy movie. It was over way too soon, and Olivia was glad that Elliot suggested hanging out a little longer afterwards. They found a place to sit in the lounge area of the theater and had another cola while they chatted. They were comfortable with each other and had fun deciding who the most ridiculous new recruit had been in the movie, while watching other movie goers get ready for the last round of movies showing at the theater.

"You know, I wanna go to the Police Academy for real," Olivia said, and Elliot had to admit he was surprised.

"Why?" he asked her.

"Well, why do you think? Because I wanna be a cop!"

He could see her do it. She had this inner strength that would make people pay attention to her, even at sixteen. He was sure she'd be a force to be reckoned with as an adult.

"Have you ever fired a gun?" he asked her.

Olivia shook her head.

"No. But I'm going to. How 'bout you?"

Elliot hadn't fired a gun either but he told her he had plans of his own.

"What plans? You wanna be a cop too? That would be cool. We could be a team!" Olivia said, her eyes shining at the thought, and Elliot had to admit it had a nice ring to it. Benson and Stabler on the job …

"That sounds cool," he told Olivia. "I don't know yet what I wanna be, but I do know what I'm going to do as soon as I'm out of school."

"And what's that?"

"I'm enlisting with the Marines."

"Wow."

He could tell Olivia was surprised. It looked like they were both planning to serve their country, each in their own way. But he felt he should tell her a little bit more about why he wanted to enlist.

"Yeah. It's the quickest way to get away from home and stand on my own two feet after high school."

Olivia bit her lip and tilted her head, looking at him attentively. He sensed that she was going to ask him another question, and he decided to beat her to it.

"I just gotta get away from my dad."

Olivia tucked her feet underneath herself on the small sofa they were sitting on, and rested her elbow on the backrest, turning her upper body towards her friend. Elliot wanted to get away from his father? She looked at him more attentively and then noticed the bruise on his jaw. She had seen it earlier in the day but it hadn't been as pronounced then, which meant it had to be very recent that it was only now beginning to stand out.

She reached out to him and Elliot held his breath when she touched his jaw gingerly.

"Why do you have to get away from your dad?" she asked him softly and he knew in that instant that she knew. Still, it was difficult for him to put it into words, and so he just looked into Olivia's concerned brown eyes until he saw in them that she understood, and accepted his silence as his answer.

"I understand," she said, retracting her hand.

Elliot watched Olivia's body language as she averted her eyes and he couldn't help wondering how much she really did understand. He wanted to ask her about it but he didn't want to come across as nosey. Before he could think of something to say, Olivia asked him,

"What sets him off?"

When she looked at him again, he shrugged. What set off his father? It was hard to pinpoint.

"Recently, I think it has to do with his job," he told her.

"What does he do?"

"He's a cop."

Olivia's eyebrows shot up. Elliot's father was a cop?

"What unit?"

"Queens robbery."

Olivia thought it might come in handy to know a cop, but from the looks of it, Elliot didn't get along with his father at all.

"I'm sorry you don't get along," she offered, and Elliot smiled wryly.

"Well, I'm not gonna need him anymore soon."

"You don't wanna go to college?" Olivia asked.

"Maybe one day. I just wanna get away first."

Olivia knew that feeling. It sucked that she was only sixteen. At least Elliot would turn eighteen soon and he would be allowed to make his own choices.

"I wish I could come with you," she mused and it was Elliot's turn to be surprised.

"Is she that bad?" he asked his friend.

He knew Ms. B. was very stern but she seemed okay now, even giving Olivia money to spend on a night out. His father would never do that, and just yell at him in stead for spending any money in the first place. Olivia shrugged and didn't look at him, and when he realized she wasn't going to say anything else, he decided to drop the subject, instead steering it back to her wish to be a cop.

"Did you have a unit in mind yet, to work for as a cop?" he asked her.

Olivia nodded, still not looking at him.

"I know I'll have to start at the bottom of the ladder, but I want to investigate sex crimes eventually."

"How come?"

He had asked before he could think about it, and when she didn't respond right away, again, he was beginning to worry about Olivia. Had someone hurt her? The mere thought made him angry already. Nobody touched a woman without her permission. Or a child, for that matter. He could see himself stand up for victims of that kind of abuse, too. It went against everything he believed in, regardless of the way his father was trying to beat his idea of masculinity into him. But his main concern right now was Olivia, and he touched her shoulder to make her look at him.

"How come?" he asked her again, his voice now soft and gentle.

She looked at him and smiled, although her smile didn't reach her eyes.

"Don't worry, nobody touched me without me wanting it," she said, adding a smirk to underline that obviously, she had been touched intimately _with_ her permission. But she'd already told him that. She'd slept with an older guy. Still, he was relieved that she wasn't assaulted herself. He knew he'd go off on a guy if he ever found someone forcing himself on a girl, and the guy would be worse off than Nick had been a few weeks ago.

Olivia checked her watch and they decided it was time to head home. Elliot insisted on traveling with her to Manhattan, to make sure she'd get home safe. She rolled her eyes but she did appreciate his chivalry. Public transport could be an unsafe place for a girl alone, even a girl who knew self-defense. As she hoisted herself up from the sofa, Elliot's eyes were drawn to the V neck of her shirt. He knew he was a prick for eyeing her that way but he just couldn't help himself. And then he spotted a dark blotch on her collarbone, that was exposed just before she straightened out her shirt and tugged her jacket over it.

"What's that?" he asked, wrapping his fingers around her jacket before she could zip it up.

"What's what?"

Olivia was confused. It wasn't very much like Elliot to grab her clothes like that. He quickly let go of her jacket but pointed at her shoulder.

"Under your shirt. Did you get hurt recently?"

Olivia had to think on her feet. She hadn't planned on telling Elliot anything about her mother, even if he had opened up a little about his dad. But she knew he'd just spotted her bruise from where her mother's hardcover book had hit her. She wanted to lie and tell him it was a PE accident but she just couldn't lie to him. Not to Elliot. But a half-truth would have to do in this case.

"Oh, that. It's just a little bruise. Nothing to worry about."

Elliot didn't know what to think and tried to maintain eye contact with Olivia to try and see what she was thinking, but she looked away, again.

"If you say so," he said slowly.

Olivia turned away from him and started walking towards the exit of the theater.

"I don't wanna talk about it, El. Come on, let's go."

He followed her quickly and Olivia knew he wasn't going to let it go so easily when she saw him watching her as they walked towards the nearest subway station together. They checked the timetable and saw that they'd have to wait ten minutes for the next train. And sure enough, as she leaned up against one of the columns on the platform, he asked her softly,

"Did _she_ hurt you?"

…

 **To be continued. Your reviews are appreciated.**


	14. Chapter 14: Promise

14.

Hiding her mother's condition was like second nature to Olivia. It was a secret and nobody was to know. She was ashamed of it and so far, she had been able to navigate through life without anyone finding out. She had learned how to cook through trial and error and could get rid of puke stains like no other by now. She had soldiered on with bruises and even a sprained ankle or wrist on occasion, although one sprained ankle had been the result of an unfortunate jump down the fire escape when she'd snuck out of the house one night. But even now that the confrontations with her mother seemed to be getting more intense, it was still their best kept secret that Serena was a rape victim raising her rapist's child, and as a result of zero counseling, an alcoholic.

Serena's mother had started the secrecy, saying she was shielding her daughter and granddaughter from shame. Thinking back now, she must have been ashamed herself and Olivia wondered if her grandmother had even believed Serena when she had told her she'd been raped. But grandma was dead now, and the rest of the family had never tried to reach out to the unmarried girl who had a baby from an unknown man. Olivia didn't even know the names of her great aunt and great uncle and their children, or even if they were still alive.

Still, it had been ingrained in her never to tell. And now there was this boy, who knew first hand what it was like to feel unsafe in his own home, asking her a direct question about her mother.

 _Did she hurt you?_

Olivia knew that not answering Elliot's question would be an answer in itself. Maybe it was time somebody knew. Lord knows, she could use an ally. But she felt like she was physically incapable of admitting it out loud and just looked at her friend.

Elliot could see a storm raging in Olivia's eyes and he knew then that Olivia's mother was, indeed, hurting her. He didn't talk about his father much either. Until now, Brian and John were the only ones who knew. He hadn't even told Kathy, and she'd been to the house. His dad had put on an act when she'd come over and he was home, which hadn't been very often.

But why would Ms. B. hurt her only child, he wondered. He stood closer to Olivia, who was still struggling. He hadn't meant to hurt her in any way or bring up something that was so difficult to talk about. It had just happened, just like he had told her about his father.

"Liv, I'm sorry. It's none of my business but … I hate to see you hurt."

She smiled then, a grateful smile. She pushed herself off the column and stuffed her hands in the pockets of her jeans.

"I hate to see you hurt too, El. Looks like we're in the same boat."

He was relieved that she wasn't shutting him down completely but was hesitant to ask her for more details. And then Olivia asked a question of her own.

"Promise me you won't tell anyone, El? Not even John or Bri?"

He wanted to ask her why, but thinking about it, he knew why. It was the same reason he didn't talk about his father's abuse.

"Promise," Elliot said, and he could see Olivia relax a little, which gave him the courage to ask another question, the same one she had asked him earlier.

"What sets her off?"

Olivia sighed and looked down at her shoes. Just when Elliot thought she wasn't going to say anything else, he heard her say softly,

"I guess I do."

Elliot placed his hands on Olivia's shoulders, making her look up at him. He squeezed her shoulders gently and it moved Olivia how much he seemed to care. She felt a little shaky because of everything they were revealing to each other and just hoped he wouldn't ask anything else. But she knew he would.

"It can't be just you," Elliot stated and she smiled. If only he knew …

She just shrugged. She wasn't ready to tell him more. She didn't know if she would ever be ready to tell anyone about how she was conceived, and how she really was the cause of her mother's outbursts. She was a constant, unavoidable reminder of the worst day of Serena's life and that was never going to change.

More people were gathering on the platform and it wasn't really the place to have a deep conversation, so Elliot let it go for now. He stayed close to her on the subway though, his chest touching her shoulder as they each held onto a rail with one hand. And when their cart got a little too crowded, he wrapped his free arm around her shoulders protectively. Olivia liked how safe he made her feel and smiled at him. Their faces were very close and when she saw Elliot's lips part so he could take a deep breath, she knew he was feeling it too; there was something in the air. Maybe it was because of what they'd shared with each other or maybe the attraction had been there before, but it was tangible now. Elliot's eyes were searching hers and she bit her lip, making his eyes drop down to her lips. He smiled nervously and she smiled as well.

Just then, they reached Olivia's stop and they had to push past a few people to get out before the train would start moving again. Elliot insisted on walking her to her building and Olivia knew it would be pointless to object. And it would give her a few more minutes with Elliot … When they were almost at her building, Olivia stopped walking and pulled Elliot to the side so they couldn't be seen from the building.

"I'll walk the rest on my own," she told him, and Elliot nodded. He understood. She couldn't be seen with him. Not yet, but part of him hoped that would only be temporary because he wanted to see her again.

"I had a great time tonight," he told her as they both hid in the shadow of a building half a block away from Olivia's home.

"Me too."

"Can we do this again some time?"

"I'd like that."

Even in the dark, Olivia could see the relief on Elliot's face.

"What? You didn't think I would?" she asked him with a chuckle and Elliot shrugged.

"Well, I kind of … it got kinda personal earlier. I wasn't sure if I pushed you too hard."

Olivia stepped closer to her friend and put a hand on his arm while assuring him,

"You didn't. You were very sweet."

Elliot swallowed, looking down at the beautiful girl in front of him. They'd just been on their first date and they basically still were just friends but he felt a pull towards her. He wanted to kiss her. But he didn't have a clue if she felt the same way or would even appreciate it. Still, he would have to say something before they'd part for the weekend. Testing the waters, he reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear; not that he expected her unruly curls to stay there but it was the gesture that counted. His heart skipped a beat when Olivia grabbed his hand before he could retract it, and held his palm against her cheek.

"Thank you, Elliot," she said quietly.

"Thank you too, Olivia."

He then leaned in and gave her a small peck on the cheek. Olivia was suddenly glad it was dark because she felt her entire face flush. She blew out a breath and forced another smile before taking a step back.

"Goodnight, El. See you Monday."

Elliot nodded and swallowed again.

"Goodnight Liv. Be safe."

"You too."

Olivia turned around and started jogging away. Elliot stayed behind in the shadows until he saw her enter the building. He even waited until the door had closed behind her. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and began walking back to the subway station slowly. He had kissed her. Not on the lips, but still. It had felt appropriate to kiss her on the cheek. He wanted her to know he really liked her without crowding her or giving her the feeling he wanted something from her. They were both just coming out of their first real relationship and they had both been hurt. If there was something growing between them, he wanted to do it right.

When he got home, he entered the house quietly. He didn't know what to expect now that his father had come back home and once he got upstairs, he stopped on the landing and listened for a minute for any signs of trouble. But all was quiet. He checked in on his sisters, who were both sleeping peacefully and then went into the bathroom to brush his teeth. He'd take a shower in the morning, not wanting to wake anyone up at this hour. Once in his bed, he lay awake for another half hour, and the only thing on his mind was his new friend; his new best girl. He couldn't understand why anyone would want to hurt her, least of all her own mother. He didn't think he'd ever understand how a parent could hurt their own child. He knew he would never do that to his children, and neither would Olivia. They would do things differently. He sighed and smiled at himself. At one time, he had thought about having kids with Kathy. Was he really thinking about having a family again? When did that happen? When he felt himself start to drift off to sleep he whispered in the dark,

"Sleep well, Olivia."

...


	15. Chapter 15: Out

**Reminder: this story is set in the 80s, we didn't have cell phones or computers back then! Also, apologies for the delay - I've been very busy offline again.**

…

15.

Serena was drinking again.

Olivia had hoped this weekend would be different, since her mother had been kind over breakfast, asking her about her evening with the girls. But something must have set her off again because she was getting drunk fast and it wasn't even noon yet. Olivia had offered to get some groceries for dinner and was making her way to the door, carrying a large shopping bag so her mother would hopefully realize what she was up to. As long as she could get out of the apartment, she would be alright. Her mother would soon lose track of time so Olivia was planning to stay away for the better part of the afternoon. But where could she go?

Olivia walked to the nearest phone booth, debating with herself if she could call Beth. Wouldn't the girl wonder why she needed a place to crash for a few hours? The only person who would understand without needing an explanation was Elliot but she realized she didn't have the number of the Stabler home. And even if she did, it was unlikely that he would pick up - and what to tell the parents?

She decided to call Beth and hope for the best. The future psychologist was very observant but still, Olivia felt safe with the girl. She wouldn't rat her out. Beth's mother answered the phone, and Olivia politely asked for Beth, trying to sound as chipper as possible.

"Hey Olivia," she heard Beth's happy voice a few moments later. "Miss me already?"

Olivia remembered that everyone thought they had been together last night, and Beth's mom was probably still around, so she just told her friend,

"Yeah. I thought we could hang out again today. I just needed some air."

A brief pause told her that her friend had questions, but she couldn't ask them with her mother hovering in the background so she just asked her mother,

"Mom, is it okay if Olivia comes over? We'll be quiet."

Mrs. Olivet didn't mind, as long as they were indeed quiet because Beth's father had worked a night shift at the hospital and was sleeping. Olivia told Beth she'd be there soon, and when she exited the phone booth, she felt better. She had a purpose now, and she quickly headed for the subway station to catch the first train to Brooklyn. It felt odd to drag an empty shopping bag along but she would just tell Beth she had to pick up some things on her way home later.

...

Olivia felt very welcome in the Olivet home. Beth's mother had tea ready for the girls when she arrived and she wondered if it was always this relaxed in the house. She didn't mind that they had to be quiet, because it didn't feel like it did at home. Back home, she was quiet simply because she didn't want her mother's attention. Here, it felt like a good deed to let Beth's dad sleep. Beth's mother asked her how she liked the school so far and Olivia told her honestly that she was relieved that she had already made new friends.

"I'm so glad. Our Beth went through the same thing last year but she's settled in nicely too. It must be odd though, going to the same school where your mother works?"

The question was completely innocent, but Olivia tensed up a little anyway. She tried to wave it off, but it still felt a little awkward to tell someone's mother how she didn't like to have her mother around all the time. Mrs. Olivet laughed out loud though, and then put a hand over her mouth because they still needed to be quiet. Olivia relaxed again and grinned at Beth, who winked at her. The woman absolutely understood how girls their age didn't need their mother hovering around them and their friends all the time. After they had finished their tea, the girls went up to Beth's room and Beth locked the door, to keep her little brother out, she explained. Also, it would give the girls some privacy to chat. They sat on Beth's bed cross-legged and facing each other.

Beth wanted to know all about her date with Elliot and Olivia gave her the basics without telling her about the personal stuff they had exchanged. It was too private to share with a third person and Olivia would never tell someone else about what Elliot had told her in confidence. Beth was mostly interested in how close they had gotten exactly.

"Did he kiss you in the dark?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"No! Not in the dark. We were watching the movie, Beth," Olivia said very seriously.

"Afterwards then? Or when he took you home?"

Olivia bit her lip and Beth let out a triumphant "Aha!"

"It was just a peck on the cheek really. He's very sweet and respectful."

"Sweet and respectful. That sounds a little … boring?"

Olivia huffed and shook her head.

"Elliot is not boring."

"So are you together now?"

Olivia pulled her shoulders up and then dropped them. Define together.

"We're friends," she told Beth. "I don't know what else to call it at this point."

Beth frowned and made an impatient gesture with her hands when she asked,

"Are you at least going on another date soon?"

A wide smile appeared on Olivia's face then, which made Beth smile too. Her friend was clearly falling in love with the boy.

"Well then," the future psychologist surmised. "I'd say you will be together officially very soon."

…

As eager as Brian always was for details about the ladies, he was uncharacteristically uninterested today. Elliot knew why, but he kind of wanted Brian to admit it himself. They were hanging out at John's and John's mother was bringing up some snacks for her son and his friends.

John was an only child and his mother had been very relieved when he'd made some friends who actually enjoyed going out. Not that she didn't like his chess-playing friends, but she wanted her son to be outside more. Even his girlfriend Gwen, who was the captain of the debate team, loved reading more than going out, and boys like Brian and Elliot provided a welcome change to the Munch household. They had promised John they would go to a nearby park later on to shoot some hoops. Not that they were any good at basketball, but it was a fun way to spend some time outside now that the weather was improving.

"So," John said as soon as his mother had left the room, "about last night."

Brian glanced at Elliot but quickly looked away when his friend grinned.

"What about it?" Elliot asked innocently.

"Come on, you can tell us? Right Bri?" John joked, but Brian wasn't amused.

John raised an eyebrow and looked at Elliot over his glasses. Elliot just shrugged and told his friends about the funny movie he and Olivia had seen. When John pushed him a little, he finally admitted that he and Olivia had talked and gotten to know each other better.

"And?" John prodded, and Brian rolled his eyes.

"And I took her home to Manhattan because I didn't want her to ride the subway alone at night."

"And?"

"Well, we couldn't risk Ms. B. seeing me of course, so we said goodnight outside."

"And?"

Elliot chuckled.

"We didn't make out or anything, John. But there's going to be a second date soon, that I can tell ya."

"She likes you, huh?" Brian piped up at last, and Elliot nodded.

"Yeah. And I like her."

"So you're done with blondes now?"

Brian sounded annoyed but Elliot knew he was just disappointed. He'd come around though. He always did.

"I don't know if hair color matters. I kinda like those brown eyes though."

Brian nodded and sipped his can of cola.

"Pamela's got brown eyes too, you know," John remarked. "Blonde hair and brown eyes. That's not a common combination."

Brian stared at his friend for a moment and then glanced at Elliot again.

"Pam? She's not a cheerleader type at all."

"Well, neither is Olivia, let's be honest. I think she'd rather be in the field than dancing and being pretty on the sidelines."

All three friends laughed together then, agreeing that Olivia definitely wasn't the cheerleader type. And neither was Pamela. She was actually a soccer player and she had already invited Olivia to try out for the girls' team.

"Wouldn't that be cool?" Elliot joked. "We could be the cheerleaders for the girls for their soccer games."

Brian was smiling now too. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to get to know Pamela better, now that Olivia was clearly off limits.

After finishing their snacks, they went outside to teach John how to shoot hoops. Meanwhile, Elliot wondered how Olivia was doing and if her mother was leaving her alone this weekend. He wanted to call her but he knew that Ms. B. would probably answer the phone, and she would not appreciate it if he called for her daughter. He would just have to wait until Monday to see her again.

…

"Mom?"

Olivia entered the apartment quietly, carrying the shopping bag filled with groceries and taking it into the kitchen before shrugging off her jacket. There was no sign of life in the apartment and after taking off her shoes, Olivia tiptoed to her mother's bedroom.

"Mom?"

She knocked softly and then pushed the door open, half expecting her mother to start yelling at her not to come into her private room. But there was no sound and Olivia breathed out slowly when she realized that her mother wasn't there. She checked the bathroom just in case, but her mother actually wasn't home. She decided to start dinner and hoped her mother's mood would be tolerable once she came back home from wherever she had gone.

The apartment was filled with the aroma of lasagna when Serena came home, carrying her own shopping bag. Only hers was filled with bottles.

"Olivia?"

"Yes mom. Dinner is almost ready."

Olivia walked up to her mother from the kitchen and forced a smile.

"Well, that's nice," Serena said flatly. "I'm not hungry but you kids need to eat of course."

She gestured at Olivia and she knew that her mother thought she was too skinny. But if that was all she was going to say, Olivia was fine with it. Apparently, she had not been missed this afternoon. Her mother did seem to have sobered up a little, but looks could be deceiving. Serena could act like a lady when she went out to get a new stash of booze but the mask usually dropped the moment she stepped into the apartment. Today, she simply sat down on the couch, placing her own shopping bag next to her, and ignored Olivia while she poured herself a drink. Olivia decided to set the table for two, even if it was unlikely that her mother would join her. She ate alone while watching her mother watch TV and drink. She would be eating lasagna again tomorrow, that much was obvious. She cleaned up after dinner, placed the leftovers in the fridge and then went to her room. Serena ignored her and Olivia decided to take a nap. If her mother did decide to check up on her, at least there would be nothing she could take offense with.

As she lay there, her eyes closed, she remembered the quiet in the Olivet household. They had been quiet out of consideration for the father, who needed to sleep during the day because he worked at night. She hadn't met Mr. Olivet yet but it was clear from the way Beth, her mother and her little brother were acting, that they all loved him very much. It had to be nice to have a loving father, she thought. Fathers were supposed to protect their children from harm. They weren't supposed to hit them, like Elliot's father was doing. And they most definitely weren't supposed to go around raping women, like hers had done.

Tears welled up in her eyes unexpectedly and she missed Elliot right now. She hadn't told him about the drinking yet but he knew that Serena wasn't mother of the year. Elliot would protect her. She knew that. One of these days she was going to break free, and she knew that Elliot would be there for her. Maybe they could break free together, and start over from scratch.

That thought put a smile on her face, and she thought about Elliot's plans to join the Marines right after college. He'd have his own income then, and probably his own place. His life would become a lot better. She wanted that for him, but she wanted it for herself as well. She'd be only seventeen, but still. At seventeen she'd have more rights than she had now at sixteen, even if she was still considered a minor under the law. There had to be a way for her too, like there was for Elliot. There just had to be …

…

 **To be continued.  
Your reviews are always appreciated.**


	16. Chapter 16: Kiss

**Sorry for the long wait guys! Not sure how this chapter actually got relatively long while not much really happens … I hope you'll enjoy anyway!**

...

16.

They ran into each other regularly in school the next week, and Elliot found himself looking for Olivia between classes every time, even when he knew she'd be elsewhere in the building. It was such a familiar feeling. He'd felt exactly the same way about Kathy. Big difference was that Kathy was in most of his classes and he only caught glimpses of Olivia. They couldn't even sit together at lunch. Olivia was too afraid her mother would see them or hear about it.

On Thursday, they met up behind the school for the first time since their date. There were a few other kids around but the teachers hardly ever came there after school so they were relatively safe from prying eyes. Brian had relayed a message to Pamela, who had asked Olivia to meet Elliot there after school. His heart jumped up when he saw her round the corner only a minute late, and he couldn't stop himself from grinning widely.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"Glad you could make it."

Olivia shrugged but smiled shyly, and he hoped she had missed him a little, like he had missed her.

"So how have you been? Your mom leave you alone after you came home?"

"She was already sleeping."

Elliot noticed how Olivia looked away briefly. He wondered if there was more to it that she was telling him, but Olivia quickly changed the subject, asking about his father.

"Same," he told her.

It was true, in a way. His father had been passed out drunk on the couch when he'd gotten home so technically, he had been sleeping. He could tell that Olivia was about to make a comment but then reconsidered, and the feeling grew that she was leaving something out. He stared at her just a few seconds too long, and Olivia huffed softly and turned away from him.

"Hey," Elliot said gently. "Is something wrong? You know you can talk to me, right?"

Olivia looked down at her feet. He was right. She did know that she could talk to him, but still … she had almost told him her mother had a drinking problem. That was just too much! It was their best-kept secret. But Elliot didn't know that so he must be wondering what had gotten into her.

"I'm sorry," she said meekly and when she looked up at Elliot again, he had one eyebrow raised.

She felt like he could look right through her and it was a scary and an exciting feeling all at the same time.

"For what?" Elliot asked her, and she felt stupid now. She was apologizing for not telling him something that he was completely unaware of. She quickly waved it off.

"Ah, nothing. Forget about it. So how have you been? I wish we could talk more often."

A warm smile spread across Elliot's face.

"So, you missed me?" he asked, and he knew he sounded corny right now but he didn't care. When he saw the look in Olivia's eyes change to one of glee, he finally reached for her to touch her, and rubbed her upper arms gently with his hands.

"Did ya?" he asked again, and Olivia finally admitted that she had, in fact missed him.

"A little."

When Elliot pulled her a little closer to him, she placed her hands on his hips and looked up at him.

"Just a little?" Elliot pushed and Olivia felt herself become a little giddy.

She hadn't missed him just a little. In fact, he'd been on her mind every day since their first date. She actually thought more of Elliot now than of Michael. And that had to mean something. And it felt nice to be this close to him; to actually touch him. She found herself wondering about that torso of his. He clearly worked out and she wondered what it would feel like to run her hands over his pecs.

"Well, I missed you too," she heard Elliot say, and when she looked up, his face was even closer to hers than before. She wondered if he was thinking about kissing her right here, in plain view. And she wondered if she would really mind if he did.

"You think we can go on that second date soon? Like next weekend?" Elliot asked, and Olivia realized that she felt a little disappointed that he wasn't planning to kiss her after all. But a second date sounded great too.

"I'll float the idea of going out at home, alright? See what the dragon lady says. Maybe we can go with the whole gang again?"

"Cool."

Olivia smiled up at her friend. He really wasn't going to try and kiss her?

Elliot looked down at the girl he was kind of holding but-not-really. She was so pretty. And she was strong and vulnerable at the same time. He wanted to protect her but he also knew he would be safe with her. He felt like he could tell her anything. She knew how to keep a secret, that was obvious. He wondered if she had more bruises that he hadn't seen yet. He had never been fond of Ms. B. but he hated the woman for hurting Olivia. She didn't deserve it, he was sure of it.

"What are you thinking?" Olivia asked him, when he stayed silent just a little longer than was comfortable for her. "Will you need to ask permission to go out too?"

Elliot scoffed. Define permission.

"My dad doesn't really care what I do these days," he told her. "He isn't home that much anyway."

Olivia saw something flash across Elliot's face and she thought it was pain.

"Do you miss him?" she asked, but the moment the words left her mouth, she knew that wasn't it.

"Hell no," Elliot said, confirming her thoughts. "It's just so unfair to mom, that's all."

Olivia bit her lip. Somehow she knew he wasn't just talking about his father not being home. It was about where he _did_ go. Was the guy cheating on his wife? She was afraid to ask. She had always wanted to have a father, but having one didn't automatically mean everything was right and good. She lifted her hand to touch the now fading bruise on Elliot's jaw, and she was surprised when he closed his eyes and the corner of his mouth twitched. He almost looked like he was about to cry, and she felt concern and compassion rise up in her chest for this amazing boy, who was hurting so badly. She didn't want that for him. She wanted him to have a happy life. Before she could change her mind or even think about what she was doing, she stood on her tiptoes and placed a soft kiss on Elliot's lips.

Elliot's eyes snapped open and went a little wide when he realized what Olivia had just done. Her cheeks were turning a cute shade of pink and she was looking anywhere but at him, and it made him smile. He hadn't meant to go all depressed on her but sometimes it made him so mad what his father was doing. He was hurting everyone around him and he didn't seem to care. And here was Olivia, who had problems enough of her own, pulling him right out of his gloomy thoughts and making him see the good things in life again. She had kissed him!

He had wondered if it would be too soon to kiss her for real, but she was definitely opening that door. Could they both really be ready for something new already, after coming out of such a disaster of a relationship? He shook his head. Who was he kidding? She'd been on his mind constantly. He was definitely falling in love again. And he wasn't going to pass up this opportunity to do something about it.

"Liv," he said softly, making her look up at him again.

"Yeah."

She was so shy now and he felt proud that he had such an effect on her.

"That was nice," he told her and she finally smiled.

She tried to seem casual when she shrugged and told him she hadn't had complaints yet about her kissing. He knew she was putting on a brave face to hide her insecurity and he thought it was adorable. But he also knew he wanted to know more about her kissing. He most definitely wanted to know more so he pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her waist until they were chest to chest.

"I'm gonna need to verify that myself, of course," he told her bravely, although his heart was hammering in his chest now.

"Of course," Olivia replied, relieved that her voice still sounded kind of normal despite the nervousness that was suddenly coursing through her body.

Elliot leaned in and she closed her eyes when his lips touched hers, tentatively at first but more firmly when she didn't move away and wrapped an arm around his neck to hold him close. Elliot hummed en kissed her again, nipping her bottom lip until she parted her lips slightly. He tested the waters by touching her upper lip with the tip of his tongue and her response shot straight to his groin. She kissed him back passionately, meeting his tongue with her own and letting out a soft moan.

They kissed for at least ten seconds but it was over way too soon and they both seemed a little dazed when they looked at each other. Elliot quickly created a little bit of distance between their lower halves, but Olivia had already felt it. He was aroused and that thought aroused her too. He dropped his forehead against hers and they stood together in silence for a few long moments before the sounds of the people around them began filtering into their consciousness again. Olivia was the first to glance around, suddenly dreading seeing her mother's angry eyes staring at her. Elliot released her, understanding her concern and there was a moment of awkwardness before they both grinned.

"You still wanna go out with the whole gang?" Elliot asked her and he bit his lip when Olivia licked her lips slowly before answering him.

He couldn't believe how quickly he had gone from a feeling of caring and wanting to protect Olivia to basically just wanting her. His hormones were all over the place.

"Maybe we can start out together and split up in couples later," she suggested and he swore her voice sounded a little hoarse. Was she excited too? But she was only sixteen. How were they going to do this?

"Sounds good," he told her quickly. He didn't want her to think he was having second thoughts, but they would need to address how far they were willing to go for now. And after that steamy kiss, he knew they would need to address it sooner rather than later.

He saw Brian walk in their direction over Olivia's shoulder and nodded at her, indicating someone was coming.

"Everything alright over here?" Brian inquired.

Elliot wrapped an arm around Olivia's shoulders and told his friend,

"Everything's perfect, Bri."

Olivia knew he was marking his territory and she almost wanted to roll her eyes, but part of her really liked it that she was now officially with Elliot. The sooner Brian could accept that, the better it would be for all of them. And for the boys' friendship, which was important as well. Olivia would never want to come between Elliot and his friends.

She wrapped her arm around Elliot's waist and smiled at Brian.

"Yeah. Everything's perfect," she told the boy, who nodded in understanding.

She let go of Elliot then, and he released her when she stepped forward. She quickly gave a very surprised Brian a peck on the cheek, making him blush furiously.

"You're a good friend, Bri," she told him and Brian nodded again.

"Yeah. Friends are forever."

Elliot gave him a gentle punch in the shoulder and Brian clapped him on the shoulder, and that was that. The three of them walked off then, rounding the school to take Olivia to her bus stop.

Elliot spotted a familiar blonde watching him from a distance. Had she seen him and Olivia kissing? He kind of hoped she had. It wasn't that he wanted to hurt her but she needed to know that he was moving on, and so should she.

Kathy was keeping her distance, but once Olivia got on the bus, Kathy headed their way. She reached the two boys just before the bus pulled away, and put a hand on Elliot's arm. She clearly wanted Olivia to see the gesture and Elliot glared at her before turning away from the blonde to wave at Olivia. He knew she'd seen Kathy and he hated that he couldn't tell her that he was going to send her packing within a minute. He couldn't believe she was still hanging around him. Sure, the sex had been great and he could imagine her missing that, but it had been a lot more for him. She should have known that. He would never want to be with a girl just for sex. Not now, anyway. Kathy had been his first and it had really meant something to him. He hadn't gotten a chance to sleep around before meeting a girl he really loved. And now, he had Olivia; another girl he really cared about. He didn't think he could ever 'just get laid' now, like so many other boys in school did. It had come to mean too much.

"What do you want, Kathy?" he asked his ex gruffly.

"Are you with _her_ now?" Kathy asked him, gesturing in the direction of where the bus had been.

"I sure am."

He felt proud, being able to say that now. Because he was, right? They had kissed and they had told Brian. Sort of. If they weren't official yet, he was going to make sure they were the very next time he saw Olivia, so he nodded and repeated,

"I sure am."

"That was quick," Kathy said and Elliot instantly felt himself getting angry with her again.

"Look who's talking Kath. Seriously? You were the one who fucked another guy while we were dating, remember? _You_. Not me!" he yelled. "But I'm moving on from you. I don't need that crap in my life. I don't wanna have to wonder what my girlfriend is up to when we're not together."

Kathy shrank back a little. She knew he was right. She was the guilty one here and he had every right to move on. Still, she hadn't given up completely.

"How do you know what _she's_ up to, far away in Manhattan," she asked him.

"I know enough about you to never fall for you again," Elliot hissed, doing his best not to start yelling at Kathy again. He looked at Brian, who beckoned him to just walk away, and he nodded.

As the boys left, he wondered what Olivia was thinking. The last thing she saw was Kathy putting her hand on his arm. He didn't want her to worry but there was no way to talk to her until morning now.

…

 **A/N: Yes, the eighties. No cell phones. But they kissed!  
Your reviews would be appreciated.**


	17. Chapter 17: Couples

17.

Olivia couldn't shake off the unrest she'd felt the moment Kathy had approached Elliot. She knew he'd been head over heels with the blonde for a long time and that they'd slept together. And if she was really honest with herself, she was becoming jealous of that. She knew like no other that it took time for memories like that to fade. Sometimes when she was half asleep she could still feel Michael's body against hers, even inside her. She wondered if Elliot had similar dreams about Kathy and she hated that she was now thinking that way. She didn't want to be this insecure teenager. All that superficial stuff, the gossip and the jealousy, that was for the other girls; for the ones who didn't have any real problems in their lives. Not for her.

But she knew that she was jealous anyway. She had fallen for Elliot and she would have to face the reality now that she wouldn't be the only one to notice him. Maybe she should begin to brace herself already because did he really need a girl with her issues? Then again, he was facing the same challenges at home, with his father. Could a girl like Kathy ever fully understand what that was like?

Olivia closed her eyes for a moment. She had no way of knowing what kind of life Kathy had. Nobody knew about her either. People were experts at hiding their problems and maybe Kathy cheating on Elliot had been just her way of acting out. And if that was the case, Elliot might come to understand it and maybe …

She sighed. She was beginning to think in circles and that would get her nowhere. Once she got home, she buried herself in her homework and hoped for a quiet evening. Maybe she could talk about going out again this weekend with her mother tonight, because on Friday night, Serena usually started drinking again. Better catch her sober for this.

When Serena came home a while later, Olivia decided to just get it over with now. If her mother said no, she would at least be able to tell Elliot tomorrow, before the weekend. She tried for a casual attitude when she asked her mother if it would be alright to meet up with the girls again on Saturday.

"Which girls?" Serena asked sharply, and Olivia knew she would need to be truthful. Her mother was capable of checking with every single parent to verify her whereabouts and who she was with - when she was sober anyway. Olivia was almost counting on it that she wouldn't be sober Saturday afternoon, but still. She had to be ready, just in case.

"Well, Beth of course. And we're going to ask Pamela and Melinda along again."

Serena wanted to know all the girls' last names and actually jotted them down, so Olivia was glad that she hadn't lied. The girls were all planning to come. Serena didn't need to know that there would be boys too. Melinda kind of had an eye for Ryan, a boy from another class, so it was possible that there would be four couples total, counting John and Gwen. She was looking forward to hanging out with all of them again.

…

His mother was acting weird again. Elliot wasn't sure if he'd ever get used to it. She seemed to be in a completely different world, and Joe Stabler only had one coping mechanism when it came to his wife's erratic behavior. Anger.

This time, he had actually ripped up one of Bernadette's paintings, and she was currently in a corner of the living room, still in her long nightgown, rolled up in a ball and sobbing, lamenting the loss of her beautiful work of art. The girls had tried to comfort her but she was so far gone that she didn't even seem to notice them. Elliot knew that Joe wouldn't hurt Bernadette when she was in this state but it still didn't feel right to just leave the house and go out with his friends. His sisters assured him that they would take care of mother. They all knew Joe would soon leave for a bar to get drunk anyway. Maybe the man had two coping mechanisms after all. Or three.

Elliot swallowed, feeling sick at the thought. That his own father could use women like that he would never understand. Sex was supposed to be something wonderful between two people. Not a way to let off steam and then toss the other person aside. They all knew their father was cheating on his wife but nobody every said anything about it out loud.

Elliot was relieved that Olivia hadn't been too worried the other day after seeing him with Kathy. Or maybe she was pretending not to be worried. He couldn't quite put his finger on her reaction but she seemed okay now. But he knew he would never, ever cheat on someone. He hated his father for it and he knew first hand what it felt like to be cheated on. He would never do that to another person.

"We get each other," Olivia had said and he knew she was right; up to a point anyway. Home wasn't a safe space for either of them. Kathy's family had been so different. He'd been able to relax there. Maybe that had been part of the attraction as well. He didn't really know anymore, because another girl was on his mind night and day these days and the two couldn't be more different. Dark hair and the most beautiful dark brown eyes … Olivia was a vision. And he admired her strength, how she was still standing despite the trouble she'd been in and probably was still going through. Part of him wanted to give Ms. Benson a piece of his mind. He wouldn't confront the woman for Olivia's sake but if he ever saw her hurt Olivia … he wasn't sure what he'd do. If he was anything like his own explosive father, he would do his damnedest to only unleash his anger against people who truly deserved it. He would use it to right wrongs, not to create wrongs.

When Olivia and Beth came walking up to them arm in arm, Elliot let go of the tension in his body and smiled at her. She untangled her arm from Beth's and walked straight up to him to plant a kiss on his lips. She didn't leave any room for doubt about where they stood, and their friends let out a few 'ooohs' and giggles.

Elliot just grinned like a fool and Olivia loved it. She had nothing to worry about. Elliot wasn't going anywhere. And she was going to make him happy. He deserved it.

…

The group hung out together for a while and Elliot winked at Olivia when they saw Brian give Pamela a peck on the cheek. Even Ryan, the new kid in the group, seemed to catch on and was keeping his arm around Melinda's waist the whole time. It was a perfect afternoon and the four couples had fun chasing each other around the park, playing hide and seek and making out against a tree or on a bench. There was no need to split up into couples because there was enough opportunity for some kissing and cuddling. The only one who felt a little left out was Beth, so the whole group decided that they now had a mission: find Beth a boyfriend. Gwen and Olivia made sure Beth was never alone for too long, and the three girls had a ton of fun pointing out cute guys to each other when they went for a snack at a local fast food restaurant.

"Should we be worried?" John asked, peering over his glasses at the girls while he and Elliot waited in line for their orders.

"Nah, we're good," Elliot assured him, clapping his friend on the back. "We just have to keep our women happy."

John grinned and nodded.

"Speaking of which," the skinny boy said. "You and Olivia already uh … you know."

"She's only sixteen John," Elliot said softly. "We can't yet."

"Shoot."

John rubbed his chin and glanced at the girls again, and then asked Elliot,

"Am I the only one who has a seventeen-year old girlfriend?"

Elliot scanned their little group and bit his lip. He wasn't sure about the other girls, but since most of them were from Olivia's class, they could all very well be sixteen.

"I don't know John but it's very possible."

John seemed a few inches taller when he took a step forward in line, squaring his shoulders. Elliot chuckled and shook his head. Well, if anyone deserved it, it was John. He hoped that he and Gwen would make it work and even if they didn't, John would know that girls could definitely like him.

Pamela and Brian seemed to be hitting it off really well now that Brian had let go of his infatuation with Olivia, and Elliot made a mental note to ask his friend about his new girl's age. They were teenagers but he didn't want to get in trouble. Still, it wasn't going to be easy to wait now that he knew what it was like with a real girl. And Olivia's curves were really something else ...

When he scooted back into their booth next to Olivia, he leaned closer to her and asked her softly,

"Hey Liv, when is your birthday?"

Olivia cocked her head and looked at him, her dark eyes searching his face before she asked,

"It's in July. Why do you wanna know?"

...

 **A/N: I invented a new birthday for Olivia for this story. Writer's prerogative :)**  
 **I know it's been ages but I hope I still have readers / reviewers for this one?**  
 **To be continued**


End file.
